Two of Us
by switchbladesandhairgrease
Summary: Five long years have passed, and Cherry is back in Tulsa with a new addition. When Cherry's daughter starts asking questions about her father, Mrs. Valance suggests going to find him. She doesn't think it'll be too hard, but some things aren't as easy as they seem.
1. Welcome to Tulsa

**I feel the title of this story is so appropriate. You guys don't even know. If I'm correct, it's about coming home; I'm almost positive it's a love song, and funny enough, it's by the Beatles. Which, as we all know, were popular with the socs. Tell me this title isn't perfect!**

**Since I'm posting this story, it means I finished writing One in the Same, so I'll update that tomorrow as soon as I get home from school. Thank you guys for being understanding with that. :)**

**If you haven't read my one-shot, "Good-Bye, Cherry", I suggest you do. It'll further explain this story. It might help clear up any confusion. So, reading "Good-Bye, Cherry" . . . I highly recommend it.**

**Another thing, Cherry will not be called Cherry in this story. She's all grown up, and I feel Cherry is a pretty childish nickname that wouldn't follow her after her teenage years. So, she will always be called Sherri. :) Besides, I think that name is pretty and a lot better than Cherry, but that's just me.**

**I hope you're pleased with this story. I'm pretty pleased with this chapter if I do say so myself. :) When you get done reading, please review! It gives me motivation to write more!**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own The Outsiders, but I do own little Michelle. :)**

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Sherri held on tightly to her five year-old daughter's hand. Both of them stood outside of her parents' house. Sherri was nervous. They had invited her back for her 23rd birthday which was coming up in a couple days.

Several bags of luggage cluttered the sidewalk behind them. Her parents thought she was here for a visit, but she planned on moving back. Heck, she actually _wanted_ to move back. Nevada wasn't the right place for her energetic daughter. Michelle, her daughter, danced around on the concrete. She pulled her hand out of her mother's and stomped around.

Sherri watched her with a big smile. Her daughter was gorgeous, and she wasn't just saying that. She had the prettiest, shiniest black hair and the darkest most innocent looking eyes ever.

Sherri sighed.

Michelle looked too much like her father. The only thing she didn't inherit from him was his cocky personality; instead, she got Sherri's. Michelle was outgoing, smart, and she was far from shy. She really liked to be the center of attention.

The door opened and revealed her smiling mother. She stepped outside and gave her daughter a hug. Mrs. Valance looked the same as she did five year ago, but a few wrinkles were evident on her face.

"Hello, darling," she said, pulling away from Sherri. Michelle straightened up and looked at her grandmother. Mrs. Valance looked down at her granddaughter with a smile. "She looks nothing like you."

Sherri combed through her daughter's hair with her fingers. She admired her daughter and slowly nodded her head.

"She got all her looks from her father," Sherri explained. A big smile started to form on Michelle's face. She hugged her grandmother's legs tightly, and Mrs. Valance scooped her up into her arms before facing Sherri.

"He's still in town. You should try to find him, so Michelle can meet her father," Mrs. Valance said, holding onto her granddaughter tightly. Sherri rubbed the back of her neck.

"I'm not so sure about that, Mom," she replied.

"I'm not quite sure where he lives though; the oldest Curtis sold their home for another one. I think him and the middle boy moved in together," Mrs. Valance explained.

"I couldn't see him if I wanted to," Mrs. Valance raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why couldn't you?"

"The whole soc and greaser feud that has consumed this town. It'd be hell for both of us," Sherri explained. Mrs. Valance shook her head.

"No, that whole feud ended about a year after Bob and those two boys died," she explained. Sherri shook her head and sighed.

"No, only Bob died. Johnny ended up recovering," Sherri responded.

"Anyway, the feud is over. Nobody cares anymore,"

"Maybe I'll try to find him, so he can meet his daughter," Sherri said to herself. Mrs. Valance smiled.

"Good, now why don't you bring your bag inside . . ." she stopped speaking when she noticed the seven bags cluttering her sidewalk. Sherri turned around to look at them before facing her mother.

"I plan on moving back. Tomorrow, I'm going to look for a job, and I'm going to look for an apartment," Sherri told her mother with a smile. Her mother didn't look impressed.

XxXxXxX

Sherri piled their bags in a corner and turned towards Michelle. She stared at the pile before meeting her mother's eyes.

"We aren't staying here?" she asked curiously. Sherri shook her head and took a seat next to the little girl.

"No, tomorrow I'm going to go look for a place to live, and Mommy is going to look for a job," she explained. Michelle lied down and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"Mommy, where does Daddy live?" Sherri sighed. She should've known Michelle was going to ask about him sooner or later.

"Actually, Daddy lives in Tulsa," Michelle's eyes lit up.

"Is he going to live with us?"

"No, sweetheart. He doesn't even know we're here," Sherri explained. She looked her daughter in the eyes and frowned. "Michelle, do you want to know about your father?" She nodded her head happily.

Sherri took a deep breath.

"Well, you look exactly like Daddy. But you don't act anything like him . . ." Sherri continued on, explaining everything she knew about Steve. Unlike any other time, Michelle really listened to her. While she was explaining this to her daughter, Sherri knew she had to arrange for them to meet. It was so obvious Michelle wanted to know her dad, and as long as Steve wanted to see her, Sherri didn't mind.

XxXxXxX

Sherri left her parents' house early the next morning. She wanted to get a good start looking for a new job and apartment. The first place she decided to go was The Dingo. Back in the day, it was a popular place, and if it still was, she'd make a decent amount of money.

She approached the building and took a deep breath before stepping inside. Before she left, this was a rough, greaser hang-out. But since the feud no longer existed, she figured that it wasn't as aggressive of a place.

Boy was she wrong.

If it wasn't for the fact that was so desperate for a job, she would've turned around and quickly left. The only thing that stopped her from leaving, besides needing a job so badly, was Michelle. She wanted her daughter to have a good life, and there was no way that'd be possible if her mother didn't have a job.

One of the employees gave her an application and pen. Sherri took a seat at the bar stool and tried to ignore the ruckus behind her. She tried to hurry. She knew a fight was more than likely about to break out. When the form asked for her address, she stopped. Did she put her parents' address? Or did she wait and fill it in later when she got her own place? She decided to put her parents'.

Hopefully they wouldn't mind.

Sherri scribbled in the rest of the information. The employee came back over to her and happily took it.

"Thanks for the application," the waitress said sweetly. Sherri offered her a smile and nodded her head. The girl turned and walked away, and Sherri copied her action. She hopped off the stool and looked up, instantly stopping in her tracks.

Her daughter's father was two hundred feet in front of her.

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**How was it? Good? Bad?**

**review loves. :)**


	2. Too Many Familiar Faces

**This is my final update of the day. :)**

**I hope it's as good as you hoped it'd be. When you get done reading, please review. It gives me motivation. Literally.**

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Sherri hurried out of The Dingo quickly, hoping Steve didn't recognize her. She didn't think she could have handled the confrontation between the two. Especially since his friends were present. She wasn't even sure if they knew Steve had a daughter.

They had to know; who keeps a big secret like that from your friends? Let alone your _best_ friends.

Sherri did.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and shook her head to rid herself of the memories. Sherri didn't even tell her best friend, Marcia, that she was being forced to leave Tulsa, let alone the reason behind it all. Gosh, Marcia probably hated her.

Marcia.

Sherri wondered if she was still around, and to be honest, a little part of her hoped she was.

She stared at the sidewalk and made her journey back to her parents' house. As soon as she got Michelle, they were going to go look at apartments. She wanted to move out as soon as possible.

"Cherry Valance, is that you?" someone asked. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up, meeting the eyes of Ponyboy Curtis. He stared back at her with a big smile.

"Hey, Ponyboy," she answered weakly. His smile only grew bigger.

"What happened to you? It's been years since I've last seen you," he said. Sherri forced a smile.

"I spent the last few years with my grandma in Nevada," Sherri explained. "I'm moving back to Tulsa though."

"Really? Hey, we ought to hang out sometime, but right now, I have to go meet Soda and 'em at The Dingo," he said. Pony grabbed a hold of her arm. "It was great seeing you again." Sherri nodded her head and forced a small smile.

"You too," she replied. Ponyboy let go of her arm and took off. Sherri began walking again with her head towards the ground. She didn't want to talk to anyone else she knew. Sherri just wasn't ready for the sudden reunions.

XxXxXxX

Steve stared at the door. She was back. The girl he accidentally got pregnant five years ago was back in Tulsa. He couldn't believe this.

Soda leaned over to Steve and gripped his shoulder. He rested his chin on Steve's shoulder and stared at the door too.

"Who are we lookin' for, Stevie?" Soda asked, making a funny face. Steve pulled away from his friend and turned to look at him.

"Uh, no one," he lied. Soda stared at his best friend and frowned.

"What's wrong then?" Steve shook his head. He couldn't tell the guys. They didn't know he was a father, and he didn't even know how to break the news to them if he wanted the boys to know.

Soda didn't look convinced.

"Soda, I'm fine," Steve promised. Soda slowly shook his head, still looking unconvinced. The bell above the door rang out, and Steve's head snapped around. It was Ponyboy, but he had a big smile on his face.

He moved towards their booth. Steve moved over, so the kid could take a seat. Soda leaned forward and looked at his younger brother happily.

"What's up with you?" he asked.

"You'll never guess who I just ran in to," Pony said. Soda looked at him and waited for him to continue. "Cherry Valance." Steve's eyes widened.

"I'll be damned. It was her," he said under his breath.

"Didn't she get shipped to her grandmother's house because she got pregnant by someone?" Soda asked. Pony's expression quickly changed.

"I don't know. I didn't even know she was pregnant," he answered. Soda shrugged his shoulders.

"That's what I heard. I heard some kids talking about it one day at the DX," Steve felt himself starting to get hot. He needed to move. He needed to get out.

"Can you move, Pony?" he asked. Ponyboy looked at Steve before getting up. He jumped out of the booth and turned to look at his friends. "I'll see you back at home, Soda."

Soda nodded his head in confusion, and Steve hurried out of The Dingo.

XxXxXxX

Sherri secured Michelle's car seat in the back of her old Sting Ray. The fact that it still ran perfectly amazed Sherri. Michelle climbed into the car and got into her car seat.

"Mommy, are we going to see Daddy?" she asked curiously, allowing her mother to strap her in. Sherri shook her head and frowned.

"No, sweetheart. We're going to visit Mommy's old friend. Her name is Marcia," she explained. Instead of looking for apartments, Sherri had to see her friend. She had to make sure she wasn't mad at her.

"Where does she live?" Michelle asked once more.

"Mommy isn't sure. That's why we're going to visit her mommy and daddy, so we can get her address," Sherri said. The seat belt latched. Sherri pulled herself out of the car, shutting the door behind her.

She hurried around to the driver's side. Sherri climbed in and buckled herself up. She stared out ahead at the garage door. She was anxious yet excited. Would Marcia be mad at her? Would she forgive her easily? Would her parents even give her Marcia's address?

Sherri started her car and pulled out of the driveway. She headed down the street to the house her friend grew up in.

XxXxXxX

She stared down at the address in her hands. How she managed to get it, she'll never know. Sherri turned around to check on her daughter. Michelle's head was leaning against the seat, and she was fast asleep. Sherri smiled to herself before turning around to start the car.

As she drew nearer and nearer to her old friend's house, she felt herself growing more anxious. Soon, she pulled up to her house. It was big and beautiful. It had the same bricks that her childhood home had, but the design was different.

Sherri shut her car off and turned to wake up her daughter. Instead, Michelle was already awake, and she was admiring the house as well.

"Are we here, Mommy?" she asked, turning to face her mother. Sherri nodded, and her daughter happily unbuckled. Both girls got out of the car. As soon as the energetic five year-old touched the pavement, she took off towards the door. Sherri followed after her quickly.

Randy opened the door when she knocked. Sherri's first thought was that she had the wrong house until Randy spoke.

"You're here for Marcia, aren't you?" he asked. She nodded her head. "Come on in, and I'll go get her." He stepped out of the way and let the two girls in. "Who is this little girl?" Sherri sighed.

"This is my daughter, Michelle," Sherri said. Randy smiled and led them into the living room. Sherri took a seat in one of the beautiful chairs, and Michelle climbed onto her lap. Randy left the girls and went to find Marcia, who Sherri figured was his wife.

When she entered the room and noticed Sherri sitting on her furniture, Marcia's eyes narrowed. Sherri noticed, and her nerves started to get the best of her.

Marcia was still upset.

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	3. A Promise I Dare Not Break

**Goodness. I didn't intend on updating this late, so my apologies!**

**After this chapter, the good stuff begins. ;)**

**I hope this chapter was worth the wait. When you get done reading, please review. It means a lot. :) Plus, it means faster updates. :D**

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Randy took Michelle out of the room, so the two girls could talk in private. Marcia stared at her old friend coldly. Sherri held her hands up in defense.

"I can explain," she said quickly. Marcia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into the back of her seat.

"Good because you have a lot of explaining to do," Marcia answered bitterly. Sherri bit down on her tongue, wondering where to begin. Should she start with when she found out? Should she start with the party? Should she start when she told her parents?

"Where should I begin?"

"Begin with the reason behind you abandoning the city," Sherri nodded her head slowly and averted her eyes to the ground.

"Remember that kid, Mason Ryder?" Sherri asked, slowly meeting the cold eyes of Marcia.

"That middle-class kid that got killed in an auto wreck two years ago? I'm familiar with him," she deadpanned. Sherri's eyes widened.

"He was killed?" Marcia nodded her head.

"He and Pamela Wood were coming home from a date when some drunken man collided with the driver's side. He was killed instantly, but Pamela managed to get out unscratched," she explained. "Now back to your story. Don't try and change the subject." Sherri nodded her head obediently.

"A few greasers were at his party, and Joyce Barker somehow talked me into drinking. When I was drunk, I hooked up with a greaser. A month or so later, I found out I was pregnant with the greaser's child. When I told my parents, they sent me away instantly. I figured they'd tell you . . ."

"They never did. Who's Michelle's father?" Marcia asked. Her expression softened a bit much to Sherri's relief.

"I should have sent you a letter, but I was so depressed with the move; I didn't want to be in . . ."

"Sherri . . ." Marcia said slowly. "Who is Michelle's father?" Sherri met her eyes. Normally, Marcia's dark eyes were lively and comical, but this time, they were dead serious. Sherri took a deep breath and shut her eyes.

"Steve Randle is her father," she answered. Several seconds passed. Neither girl spoke.

Sherri cracked an eye open and looked at her friend. Marcia stared at her; her expression was blank.

"Does he know?" Marcia asked in a hushed voice. Sherri nodded.

"Yes, and for the past day, Michelle has been asking to see him. I saw him yesterday at The Dingo, but I ran off before either of us could speak to each other," she told her. Marcia frowned.

"Cher, I think you need to talk to him. You two need to reconnect or something, so Michelle can be with both of her parents. I'm not suggesting getting together or anything, but don't you think Steve would like to see his daughter?" Sherri forced a small smile and nodded her head.

"You're right, Marcia,"

XxXxXxX

Steve rolled over and was blinded by the sunlight. He rubbed at his eyes and got up slowly. He pulled himself out of bed and into the living room. Soda and Ponyboy were gathered around in the living room. Soda looked up, and once he noticed Steve, a big smile formed on his face.

"Welcome back, Steve-o!" Soda exclaimed. Steve groaned loudly and rubbed his temples in attempt to relieve his pounding headache.

"How long was I out?" he grumbled. Soda looked at the clock on the wall.

"Mmmm, you were asleep when we got home, so I'd say about two hours," Soda answered, dealing cards out to his younger brother. Steve carried himself into the kitchen to get a couple Tylenols. "Stevie, what was buggin' you earlier?"

He ignored Sodapop's question. Instead, he grabbed a glass of water and downed the pills.

Part of him wondered about his child. Was it a boy? Was it a girl? A part of Steve actually wanted to see the kid; he sort of wanted to be a part of their life.

"You all right in there, Steve?" Ponyboy called. Steve dumped the rest of the water out before joining Soda and his kid brother in the living room.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine," he lied, collapsing onto their worn-out couch. Soda looked at him uneasily.

"If you say so, man," Pony mumbled under his breath, laying down his cards. Soda smirked before laying his down too. Pony rolled his eyes and sighed. There was no way to win with him.

XxXxXxX

Sherri stared back at Marcia with a smile on her face; Marcia's facial expressions mirrored her friend's.

"So, are we good?" Sherri asked nervously. Marcia nodded her head happily.

"Yep! Now, you better reconnect with Steve. I want to see Michelle happy," Marcia said, squatting down to be eye level with the five year-old. Michelle looked back at her happily. Sherri played with her daughter's hair and smiled.

"I will. Next time I see him around town, I'll stop and say hi," she promised. Marcia stood back up and nodded.

"I'll see you around. As soon as you get your apartment, call me," Marcia smiled, hugging her best friend. Sherri hugged her back happily.

It was great to be back on good terms with Marcia in such a short amount of time.

XxXxXxX

Mr. Valance entertained Michelle while Sherri helped her mother prepare dinner. It reminded Sherri of the times when she was a freshman. She had to take a cooking class that year, and every day, she came home eager to show her parents the new meal she had learned to prepare. Unfortunately for her, her meals never came out as good as they did in class.

"So, I applied for a job at The Dingo today," Sherri said, trying to make conversation with her mother. Mrs. Valance continued stirring the noodles.

"Did you? Did you get the job?" Sherri shook her head and got plates out of the cabinet.

"Nah, they said they'd call in a couple days . . . But I did see some old friends there," Sherri said softly. Mrs. Valance looked up towards her daughter.

"Who?"

"Oh, just Ponyboy and his brother, Sodapop. Steve was with them too," she tried to finish the sentence so her mother couldn't hear.

"Sherri, did you speak to him?" she shook her head. "Sweetheart, you're going to have to talk to him sooner or later if you want to set up a meeting between him and little Michelle." Sherri sighed and nodded her head.

"I know. I promised Marcia that the next time I saw him, I'd talk to him," she explained. Mrs. Valance smiled.

"I know you will," she asked happily.

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	4. A New Place to Call Home

**This is seriously probably my favorite chapter so far. I think it's because it my best written one. :)**

**I want to apologize to ****_Greaser Angel_****. My chapters are always around 1,000 words. It'd try for 2,000, but then you guys wouldn't get updates, and I don't like to throw too many things into one chapter, but I'll try to make the next chapter that long. Does that work for you? :)**

**When you get done reading, please review. Here's my deal. You guys review; I'll make longer chapters. :) So, please review.**

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Six days shy of her actual birthday, Sherri got a call. She answered it eagerly and was happy to find she had been rewarded with the empty waitress position down at The Dingo.

Sherri was on the road to providing her child a good life.

She began her job on Tuesday.

XxXxXxX

She stepped into the rough hangout anxiously. She remembered hearing a story long ago about a girl being stabbed here. Sure it was over five years ago, but history repeats itself.

An employee out front showed Sherri to the back room where she could keep her belongings. At first, she was nervous to leave her purse there, but she sucked it up.

The girl pulled an apron off a rack and handed it to Sherri along with a pad of paper and a pen.

"All you have to do is write down the customers' orders, and then give it to our chef, Dennis, and he'll get the orders to you to give to the customer," she explained. The girl held out her hand with a smile on her face. "I'm Kathleen."

Kathleen's features matched her pretty name. Her sandy blonde hair went to bottom of her rib cage, and her dark brown eyes sparkled happily. She was definitely a beautiful girl with a bubbly personality. She couldn't be anymore than eighteen.

Sherri returned her smile and shook Kathleen's hand.

"My name is Sherri," she answered. Kathleen's eyes lit up happily.

"That's a really pretty name," chirped Kathleen. Sherri felt a blush creep onto her cheeks.

"Thanks," Sherri mumbled. Kathleen continued to smile.

"I have to get back to work, but we should hang out sometime,"

"I'll have to hold you up to that offer. That sounds like fun," Sherri smiled. Kathleen grabbed her pen off the counter and exited the room, leaving Sherri all alone.

XxXxXxX

Sherri's boss, Mr. Evans, put her on cashier duty for her first day. He mentioned something about starting the new employee off easily.

She sat at the register bored out of her mind. It was going on two o'clock and hardly anyone was there.

Sherri looked up excitedly when she heard the bell above the door ring.

The customer met eyes with Sherri and stopped dead in their tracks.

It was Steve Randle.

He stared at her with wide eyes for a couple seconds. Sherri held the eye contact. Neither of them said anything.

He spun around quickly on his heel and hurried away from The Dingo.

Sherri sighed to herself. At this rate, she would never form a relationship with him. And that meant one thing.

Michelle wouldn't have an active dad.

XxXxXxX

Sherri shook Debra's hand. Debra was the nice woman showing Sherri all the available apartments in Tulsa.

Michelle sat on her mother's hip. This was the fifth apartment complex they had been too, and little Michelle wanted to go home.

Debra opened the door and allowed the mother and daughter unit inside first. Sherri's eyes widened in happiness.

This felt like the one.

Normally she wouldn't purchase something this big on the first day unless it felt right.

This one felt perfect for her, Michelle, _and_ maybe Steve.

Sherri shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. There was absolutely no way her and Steve would become an item.

Debra shut the door behind them and smiled.

"How does this one feel?" Sherri felt herself starting to smile as she slowly nodded her head.

"Something is telling me this is the right one," she answered. She looked around the room, admiring every inch of the space.

The main room was spacey unlike most apartments. The kitchen and living room were joined together, so it didn't feel cramped. Unlike most apartments, there was a nice, big window overlooking the downtown of Tulsa.

Sherri loved it. It let in a lot of natural light.

The walls were an average white color, but the floor was a beautiful dark wood of some sort.

Sherri wasn't quite sure.

As soon as she was done admiring the main room, Debra led them down a hall. At the end of the hall was a small bathroom containing only a toilet and sink.

A pretty white tile covered the floor, and a beautiful grey clothed the walls.

After Sherri admired the cute, little bathroom, Debra led them to the first bedroom.

The one that would inhabit Michelle.

Michelle was most excited about her bedroom. She squirmed around in Sherri's arms until she released the five year-old. When Sherri did, Michelle ran over and jumped onto the bed. On one wall, there was a window that was directed towards the outskirts of Tulsa. From her window, you could even see the playground in the back for the children that lived in the complex.

"Coincidentally, this room use to belong to a little girl not much older than yours," Debra told Sherri, holding on tightly to her clipboard. Sherri nodded her head and looked around the room.

The walls were a pretty lilac, and they looked like they had been painted recently.

"According to my information, the walls were painted a year or so ago," Sherri advanced towards the window and smiled. The view was lovely; it was almost relaxing. "Would you like to see the main bedroom?" Both women exited the purple room and headed across the hall. Debra pushed open the door and allowed Sherri to enter first.

Her mouth dropped the sight of the room.

A huge bed was pushed up against one of the tan walls. A huge bed for her _and_ Steve. Sherri shook her head once more and continued checking out the room. She _needed_ to get her mind off Steve.

Just like Michelle's room, there was a window on one of the walls. There was one difference. It was a couple inches smaller than the big window in the main living room.

Sherri loved the way she could lay in bed and stare at downtown Tulsa. She loved the nightlife. She loved the bright lights. She loved everything about it.

Sherri remembers going out with Bob a couple times. He'd always bring her to bars, but she wouldn't complain.

Tulsa wasn't as big as some other cities, but it was big enough to satisfy her liking.

Connected to the big bedroom was a small walk-in closet and a bathroom. Unlike the other one, this bathroom was bigger. It also had a shower.

Sherri wandered around the room. She walked over towards the window; once she realized it was a balcony, she found herself resisting the urge to smile.

"What do you think? Most people turn the offer down once they see the big windows, and once I tell them about Tulsa's nightlife. It's not bad or anything, but it's can get pretty bright . . ." Debra continued to explain everything, but Sherri tuned her out.

"This one is perfect. Debra, we'll take it," Sherri turned around, and Debra looked relieved almost.

"This has been the hardest selling apartment, so you're going to get it cheap. There's nothing wrong with it; it's just the downtown area,"

"It doesn't bother me. I love that type of stuff," she explained. Debra's smile only grew.

"We can go sign some papers, and you should be able to move in Thursday,"

"Will the furniture be included?" Debra nodded.

"Yes! You'll get the stove, fridge, the beds, and whatever else is here,"

Sherri smiled. They both left the room and went to sign the papers.

They finally had a home.

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	5. First Meetings & Big Secrets

**I'm super sorry that I didn't update last night like I promised. I got sidetracked, and I didn't finish my chapter until like eleven o'clock, but this one is longer. I checked, and it's over 2,000 words, so I hope you all forgive me. :)**

**Also, to the people who are getting frustrated that they haven't met yet. Calm down. I don't want to rush into their meeting.**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own The Outsiders.**

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Within a few days, Sherri had taken up the waitress position. She was relieved for two reasons: one, she was tired of standing in the same place all day, and two, this was the position she applied for.

She had been running around the diner nonstop since about ten o'clock that morning, so when she got her lunch break at one, she was more than happy. Sherri clocked out, took her appron off, and headed into the diner.

There he was. At the bar was Steve. Sherri stopped walking and stared at him. She couldn't help it. Something seemed . . . off. He seemed spacey, like his body was here, but his mind was somewhere else.

Steve looked up in her direction like he somehow knew she was there. The two of them stared at each other for a couple seconds before he hopped off the stool. He started walking towards her. Sherri took a deep breath and started walking to him. They both met in the middle.

It was awkward.

Sherri held onto her purse tightly and opened her mouth to speak, but Steve beat her to it.

"Hey," he said slowly. Sherri looked him up and down. Taking note of how much he had changed in five years, and how tense he was.

His eye had lightened up a bit, and they didn't look as cold and heartless. He didn't seem as cocky as she remembered either. And Steve's dark hair was the same length, but it was no longer the home to tons of grease. He looked handsome.

"Hey," Sherri replied. "I'm heading down the street to that new soup restaurant for lunch. Would you like to join me?" Steve relaxed a little and nodded his head, a slight smile formed on his face.

"If you don't mind," he answered. Sherri smiled.

"It's my treat,"

XxXxXxX

"What brings you back to Tulsa?" Steve asked curiously. The two had just received their food and were ready to dig in. Sherri blew gently on the food before sticking it in her mouth.

"My parents invited me back for my twenty-third birthday. Plus, Nevada wasn't the best place for Michelle to grow up," she answered once she swallowed. Steve took a bite of his chowder and smiled.

"How old is she nowadays?" Sherri felt herself smile at his question. It sounded like he wanted to be a part of his daughter's life. That's exactly what she wanted.

"She's five. She'll be six in September," she replied.

"How long are you guys going to be living with your parents?" Sherri's mind started to wander. Was he trying to make an appearance in her daughter's life? Would he start visiting her?

"Well I was, but the other day, we bought this apartment on the edge of town," she answered, stirring her spoon around the bowl. Steve took another bite.

"Have you moved yet?" Sherri shook her head and took a bite. Once she swallowed, she looked into Steve's eyes and shook her head.

"I hate to ask, but would you help us move in? I mean, not for me, but for Michelle. She's been asking about you Steve . . ." Sherri trailed off and quickly looked towards the table. "I didn't know what to tell her." She said to herself.

"I'd be more than happy to help. I'd like to see my little girl," Steve answered. "What day do you want to move in?" She shrugged her shoulders.

"What day works best for you?"

"I get off work at two on Saturday, and I don't have to work Sunday," he answered, finishing his food. Sherri finished her soup and wiped her mouth off.

"I have to go into the diner at three on Saturday, so do you want to shoot for Sunday?" Sherri asked. Steve nodded his head.

"That sounds great," the waitress came, and Sherri paid for both of their meals. "Thanks, Sherri." Both of them got up. They each said good-bye to the other before Sherri made her way back to The Dingo.

XxXxXxX

Steve loitered around the Valance's front steps. Once he had rang their doorbell, his nerves were starting to get the best of him. He was growing anxious. It didn't feel right being here.

When the door opened, Steve nearly shit himself. Behind the door was an exact replica of him only in girl form. She had the same dark hair, dark eyes. She had the same face, nose, mouth, everything!

The girl stared at him blankly. Seconds later, Sherri appeared behind her. She scooped the girl up into her arms and looked at Steve happily.

"Hey, Steve. This is Michelle," Sherri introduced. Michelle remained close to Sherri as she stared at Steve. He could see the curiosity in her eyes. Her little mind was probably racing trying to figure out who the mysterious man was.

"Mommy, who is that?" she asked barely above a whisper. Sherri looked down at her daughter with a smile on her face.

"Michelle, that's your daddy," Sherri announced. Her eyes widened. Steve awkwardly stood there and looked at his daughter.

"Daddy?" she asked. For a five year-old, it sounded like she didn't believe it one bit. Steve merely nodded his head. Michelle started squirming in Sherri's arms. Finally, she sat her down.

Michelle stared at Steve, and a smile started to form on her face. He stared down at her blankly. He wasn't sure how to act around a kid. Steve especially wasn't sure how to act when Michelle hugged his legs.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed happily. Steve sat his hand on the top of her head and looked at Sherri, who stared back at him with a smile on her face.

"Pick her up," she mouthed to him. Something about that made Steve uneasy. "Do it." Sherri encouraged. Steve looked down at Michelle. She pulled away from her father with a big smile on her face.

Her smile sure was contagious.

Steve felt himself resisting the urge to smile. He got down on his knees and scooped Michelle into his arms like Sherri had earlier. She took an instant liking to him. Michelle snuggled into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Are you ready to begin moving?" Steve asking, holding his daughter tightly. Sherri continued smiling and nodded her head before leading him to her room. Steve looked around the home. It was big. Just like he imagined any soc home.

Sherri led the party of three to her room silently. Michelle sat silently on her father's hip. To Sherri, they were a perfect family.

If only it were permanent.

Sherri pushed the door to her bedroom open. All three of them stepped inside. Steve took a good look at the room. This was where his daughter's mother grew up. She grew up in a small pink bedroom. Several pictures of the Beatles covered the wall. Steve mentally gagged. He was never a fan of their music. It was too slow for his liking.

Several boxes sat on the floor next to Sherri's bed. She turned around and looked at him with a serious face.

"You ready for this?" she asked. Steve nodded his head and put Michelle on the ground. An action Michelle wasn't very happy with.

"No, Daddy," she cried. It broke Sherri's heart. She knew exactly was was happening between their daughter and Steve.

He had made his first appearance in her life, and she felt he was going to leave again. Michelle had to be touching him to make sure that wouldn't happen. She didn't want her dad to leave.

Sherri couldn't blame her; in fact, she blamed herself.

Steve started to grab a box, and Sherri copied his action. Both of them carefully carried them to Steve's truck outside. During the forty-five minutes it took to load everything up, Michelle sat on Sherri's mattress sadly. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

XxXxXxX

Steve sat in his truck, patiently waiting for Sherri to lead the way to the apartment. He had a pretty good idea of which one she was talking about, but he figured he'd wait. Sherri placed Michelle in her seat and began to buckle the little five year-old up.

"Mommy, I wanna ride with Daddy," she said, looking at her mother with tear filled eyes. Sherri stared back at her daughter blankly before glancing towards Steve's truck. She pulled herself out of the car and sighed.

"I'll go ask him, sweetheart," Michelle smiled as Sherri left to talk to Steve. She opened the passenger's door and looked at him. "Michelle wants to ride with you." She explained. Steve smiled and looked towards her car.

"Go get the little tycoon," he replied, looking at her. Sherri smile and hurried to get Michelle. She was sure happy she got to ride with her daddy.

XxXxXxX

Sherri began unloading the boxes once Steve brought the final one in. She was mainly putting away the kitchen stuff her mother had given her.

"Do you want help?" Steve asked curiously. Sherri shook her head and opened a cabinet. She put a couple glasses away when Michelle came running into the room.

"Daddy, come see my room!" she exclaimed happily. Sherri stopped what she was doing to turn around and watch the scene unfold. Michelle grabbed onto his hand and pulled him off to her room. Sherri smiled and continued putting her stuff away.

She emptied four boxes in half an hour. When she was finished, she decided to go check on Steve and her daughter. She wiped the sweat from her forehead onto the back of her hand while walking to Michelle's room.

Inside the room, the two were sitting on the ground. The five year-old had one of her boxes open and was going through her toys. She sat comfortably in Steve's lap, where he held her securely with his arms around her tiny body.

She entered the room and took a seat on the little girl's bed. Steve heared the squeak of the springs and looked at her. He almost seemed happy. Was this little girl actually making Steve Randle happy?

"Look at my pretty doll, Daddy!" Michelle exclaimed, pulling her Chatty Cathy doll out of the box. "Her name is Annie!" she pushed a button causing the doll to talk. Steve looked at the doll and chuckled.

"Two-Bit's kid sister use to have one of these," he said, looking at the doll. Michelle pulled away and looked at Steve.

"How old is she?" Michelle asked curiously.

"She's all grown up now, kiddo," Steve answered. Michelle continued to go through the box of toys.

XxXxXxX

Michelle climbed onto Steve's lap again. Not that he minded. He loved the little girl. Him and Sherri were sitting at her excuse of a table. Each of them catching up on everything that had gone on throughout the years. Steve had told her how the soc and greaser feud had slowly faded to nothing; in return, Sherri told him all about Nevada.

Around four o'clock, Steve sat Michelle on the ground and stood up. Michelle looked at him sadly, but he didn't seem to notice.

"I hate to rush off, but I have to get home. Soda should be home any time now," he explained. "But we should hang out again." Sherri nodded her head in agreement.

"Are you busy Wednesday? We could go out to lunch or something," she suggested. Steve smiled.

"That sounds like fun," he slowly made his way to the door. "I'll see you two later. I love you, Michelle." Her face lit up.

"I love you, Daddy," she chirped happily. Steve waved bye to Sherri before disappearing behind the door. She collapsed into the chair and sighed.

There was no way she could be developing a crush on Steve.

XxXxXxX

Soda had beat Steve home, so when he entered the house, Soda began bombarding him with a ton of questions on where he was or if he was with a girl.

"Gosh, you sound like you're my wife," Steve groaned, pushing his best friend back. Soda stumbled, but the smile on his face never disappeared.

"Were you with a girl, Stevie? What was her name? Was she pretty?" he continued with the questions. Steve groaned again.

"I just helped Sherri move into her new apartment," he answered truthfully. Soda looked at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Why were you helpin' her move?" Soda asked again. Steve took a seat on the couch and looked at him seriously. Soda plopped down next to him.

"If I tell you why I was with Sherri, do you promise not to tell anyone?" he asked. Soda nodded his head and waited to see what Steve had to say. Steve took a deep breath and looked around nervously. "I was the one who got Sherri pregnant five years ago."

* * *

**review loves. :)**


	6. Good-Bye Doesn't Mean Forever

**Before I get into the chapter, I want to clear up something. One of my reviewers said that chapter five moved too fast, and I'm assuming they meant between Michelle and Steve, so I'd like to explain that. Remember in chapter one how it stated the Michelle had her daddy's looks and her mother's personality? And remember how in The Outsiders, Cherry wasn't so sure about Ponyboy,but once she realized who he was, she took a immediate liking to him? If you think about it, it's the same scenario between Michelle and Steve. :)**

**When you get done reading, please review. Your feedback inspires me, and I like to see what you guys think of the chapter. :)**

* * *

Sherri lied in her, staring blankly at the ceiling. Michelle had been crying for the past half hour, and she had yet to come to her mother's room.

She finally kicked her blankets back and got up.

Sherri wandered from her room over to her daughter's. She peeked her head into Michelle's room and frowned.

The little girl was rolling around in her bed, crying her eyes out.

Sherri stepped into the room and walked to her daughter. She gingerly took a seat on Michelle's bed and placed her hand onto the girl's shoulder.

"Michelle, are you all right?" she asked softly. Michelle continued rolling around. Sherri ran her hand through her daughter's hair.

Michelle stopped rolling and slowly opened her eyes. In the moonlight, Sherri could see her tear stained cheeks.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked soothingly. Michelle sniffled and sat up. She hugged her knees to chest and sat her chin comfortably on her knee caps.

"I-I miss D-Daddy," Michelle cried. A hiccup escaped from her throat. "I w-want him."

Sherri's heart broke.

Michelle thought Steve was leaving her. She thought she'd never see him again. Sherri was right. She acknowledged the fear in her daughter's eyes earlier that day, but this moment had confirmed it.

"You'll see him again," Sherri promised. Michelle wiped at her eyes and looked at her mother.

"W-When?" Michelle hiccuped. Sherri ran her hand through her daughter's hair and smiled.

"I'm not sure, but it'll be soon," she said. "Now, do you think you can go back to sleep, or do you want to come sleep with Mommy?" Michelle looked at her innocently.

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked. Once Sherri nodded her head, Michelle quickly jumped from her bed and raced into her mother's room.

Sherri smiled and shook her head before getting up and following.

When she passed by her big window, Sherri couldn't help but stop. She glanced out and smiled at the bright city below.

Just what she loved.

She eventually tore herself away and climbed into the spot next to her daughter who was already fast asleep.

Her reassurance must've helped more than she imagined.

Sherri slid down and made herself comfortable underneath the thick blanket. She warmed up quickly, and once she did, Sherri slipped into unconsciousness easily.

XxXxXxX

Steve was starting to feel awkward and uncomfortable with telling his best friend. For the past few minutes, he had been staring at him silently with wide eyes.

"Soda," Steve said quietly, averting his eyes towards the floor. Soda snapped out of his trance.

"Sorry," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Steve looked up and met Soda's eyes. "Did you abandon her?"

Steve stared at him silently.

"You did, didn't you?" Soda asked quietly. He looked at his best friend in disbelief. Steve shook his head and sighed.

"No, I didn't. She left town, Soda. I didn't even know until after she was gone. I felt guilty; I honestly did, but now I'm trying to become apart of my daughter's life," he explained. Soda relaxed and a smile formed on his face.

"Stevie has a little girl," he teased, poking his best friend in the stomach. Steve groaned and swatted at his hand.

"Soda . . ."

"Steve, you're going to become such a softie! You're going to spoil that girl rotten," Soda continued. "You're going to be putty in her hands."

"Soda . . ." Steve said again. His best friend looked at him with his signature goofy grin.

"I want to meet her,"

"You can. Just as soon as she gets familiar with me,"

"Does she keep her distance from you when you're around?" Sodapop asked.

"Well, no . . . Actually, she is stuck to me like glue," Steve answered. Soda's smile grew bigger.

"You've only met the kid once, and she already loves you," he repeated. "I didn't know you had it in you, Steve-O." Steve rolled his eyes.

"I feel bad though. She has to support that kid all by herself,"

"Well, why don't you start forming a relationship with Sherri, so you can help her with the kid?" Soda asked. Steve shrugged his shoulders. "That's all you can really do, Steve."

Steve sighed.

"You're right, Soda," he said. Soda sucked his stomach in and stuck his chest out with his hands on his hips.

"Of course I'm right. I'm Sodapop Curtis," Soda replied happily. Steve started laughing.

"You look like Superman," he chuckled. Soda rolled his eyes and waved him off.

The two friends sat in silence until Soda got a great idea. His present smile continued growing until it could get no bigger. Steve looked at him funnily.

"What's up with you?" he asked nervously.

"We need to get your mind off things," Soda explained. Steve continued staring at him, waiting for him to further explain what he had in mind. "We're calling the boys together, and we're to have a night out on the town."

"Where are we going?" Steve asked nervously. Soda's grin changed to a smirk.

"Stevie, we're going to Buck's place," he answered simply.

XxXxXxX

Sherri spent the remainder of the day trying to reassure Michelle that Steve was in her life to stay.

Michelle wasn't buying it.

She cried all day. The only time she didn't was when Sherri gave her a bath. Since Michelle loved the water, it cleared her mind. It made her forget about everything for a while.

Sherri thought for sure Michelle has forgotten about it for good. But that wasn't the case.

As soon as she went back into her room, she went back into her sad state.

Sherri knew she had to do something. She knew she was going to have to get Steve to assure her that he wasn't leaving.

And thats exactly what Sherri was going to do.

* * *

**review loves. :)**

**more Michelle / Steve fluff to come!**

**But out of curiosity, do you guys want more . . .**

**Michelle & Steve moments ****or Michelle & Sherri moments?**


	7. You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Party

**I noticed in the reviews that someone asked how often I'll update this story. Well, my goal is to update every other day since I has three stories that haven't been completed yet. So, every other day you guys can expect an update. :) Oh, I also try to update around four o'clock, so if a story isn't update around that time, there more than likely won't be an update. :)**

**Remember: every other day around four o'clock my time. :)**

**When you get done reading, please review. It makes my day, and I really do enjoy seeing what you guys have to say about the chapter (or story). Also, I'm taking requests for the next couple of days. If you have anything you'd like to see in the chapters to come, go ahead and tell me, and I'll try to work it in some how! :)**

* * *

The Valance family gathered around the dining room to celebrate Sherri's twenty-third birthday.

Michelle crawled onto her mother's lap as Mrs. Valance placed a red velvet cake in front of her daughter.

Sherri's mouth watered.

For as long as she could remember, she was a _big_ fan of red velvet desserts. Michelle admired the cake with it's white frosting. Sherri admired it too.

Her mother was always wonderful when it came to decorating. Sherri always loved when Mrs. Valance would make pink flowers out of the icing.

It always turned out looking beautiful.

Michelle clapped her hands happily with a big grin on her face.

"I wish Daddy was here," she said, calming down. Mr. Valance and his wife looked at Sherri. She nodded her head slowly.

"Steve helped us move into our apartment," she explained. "And we're going out to lunch on Wednesday. Michelle took an instant liking to him; she was glued to him." Mr. Valance chuckled.

"At least she likes her daddy," he said, grabbing his granddaughter's hand. Michelle looked at him.

"I love my daddy," she chirped happily. "I miss him, Mommy." Mrs. Valance sighed sadly.

"She hasn't even known the man for a week, and I'd say she is a daddy's girl," Mr. Valance told them. Sherri nodded her head and hugged her daughter.

"When she first saw him, I think she was afraid of him. She was staring at him blankly . . ."

"How'd Steve react when he first saw her?" Mrs. Valance grabbed a knife and joined her family at the table.

"I think he was awkward about the whole situation. She hugged him, but he didn't know what to do. He eventually bent down and picked her up," Sherri finished.

"He'll warm up to her eventually," Mr. Valance told her, watching his wife cut the cake. Sherri played with her daughter's hair.

"Actually, I think he aleady has,"

XxXxXxX

All of the boys, except Darry, gathered at Soda and Steve's house. _Everyone_ was excited to go out. Everyone except Johnny and Ponyboy. The both knew exactly how this was going to end.

Everyone would be drunk off their ass.

Pony knew him and Johnny would be responsible for getting everyone home too.

"This is stupid," Pony groaned, crossing his arms. Johnny looked at him blankly.

"What do you mean, Pone?" he asked. Ponyboy sighed and extended his hand out towards the older boys.

"Johnny, a nineteen year-old, and a twenty-one year-old are going to be responsible for getting three twenty-two year-olds and a twenty-three year-old home," he explained. Johnny continued staring at him with the same blank expression. Pony sighed again. "In other words, you and I are going to be responsible for getting them home."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Johnny answered.

"I dunno. I guess we'll find out," Soda jumped onto the couch happily.

"In honor of Steve feeling guilty . . ." Steve glared at his best friend and crosse his arms. Soda quickly changed his words. "In order to help Steve clear his mind, a boy's night out is in order!"

"We understand. Now let's get to Buck's before all the good lookin' broads are picked up," Dallas commanded, heading out the door. Soda and Two-Bit followed after him, while Steve walked out behind them. Johnny and Pony reluctantly followed.

"Why am I invited? I can't even drink legally," Pony asked, crawling into the backseat next to Steve. Soda turned around from the front.

"It doesn't matter whether you can drink or not, we invited ya cause you're a part of the gang," he explained.

"Thanks for makin' me feel like a tag-a-long," he grumbled in response.

"Never bothered you before," Steve muttered under his breath. Ponyboy merely ignored him. After the events of Windrixville, him and Pony decided to start over. They still have their moments, but they made up and now each boy got along real well.

"Don't worry, kid. Buck will still give ya somethin' so you won't feel left out," Dallas spoke up.

"Dal, if Darry ever caught me drinking again, he'd ground me for ever," Soda laughed.

"Darry ain't gonna catch ya," he said. "I promise."

XxXxXxX

Johnny sat on a bar stool and watched his friends nervously. It was going on ten thirty, and he was the only sober one. Even Pony was beyond drunk.

Johnny had seen what drinking did to you. He lived with it for eighteen years. He didn't want to end up that way anyway.

"You sure you don't want a drink, kid?" someone asked. Johnny spun around and noticed Buck staring down at him. Johnny nervously shook his head and was relieved when Buck left him alone.

Eventually, he hopped off the stool and went to collect the guys. He knew that Ponyboy's curfew was 11:00 even though he was a senior, and it was Friday night.

The boys weren't hard to gather. Fortunately, they were all in the same area, except Dallas. He was probably in a bedroom with some woman.

Johnny wasn't too comfortable attempting to wrangle him; besides, he basically lived here.

The smallest member of the gang led the group out to Steve's truck. He opened the passenger door and helped the boys in.

"Thanks, Jernny," Two-Bit slurred, tripping over the seat. Johnny stifled his laughter and closed the door. He ran around to the driver's side and climbed in.

Boy was he glad he had his license.

XxXxXxX

Steve stepped into The Dingo and found Sherri right away. He sauntered over to the table and took a seat across from her. Sherri looked at him with a loving smile.

"Good afternoon, Steve," she greeted sweetly. Steve smiled back.

"Afternoon, Sherri," he answered. The two made small talk, and a waitress eventually came to take their order. Once she disappeared, Sherri turned to Steve.

"Steve, I want to ask you something," she said. Steve looked at her. "Enrollment for kindergarten is on Friday, and I was wondering if you'd come with us. It'd mean a lot to Michelle if you'd show up."

"Sure, I'll go. If it gives me an excuse to see my little girl," he answered. Sherri's eyes perked up. "But, I have a question for you . . ." Steve said nervously.

"What is it?"

"After the enrollment, would you mind if Michelle came over for the night?" Steve felt himself starting to get hot. Sherri took her sweet time with a reply making Steve grow even more nervous.

"After the events of the other night, I don't mind. In fact, I'm more than happy you asked," Steve relaxed, but his eyes narrowed towards Sherri.

"What happened the other night?"

"She cried the whole day. She thought you were never coming back, Steve," Sherri sighed. "It broke my heart; I didn't know how to calm her down. She cried all night and all day." He was shocked. He never thought a little girl would cry over him.

The waitress brought them their food, and the two ate quietly. Sherri and Steve made small talk, but the conversation never amounted to anything.

In the end, Steve paid for both meals like a gentleman, and Sherri felt herself fall harder for him.

XxXxXxX

Pony glared at his older brother while Darry ranted on about underage drinking. Somehow, Darry found out about the night.

"Darry, I'm nineteen," Pony protested.

"You have to be twenty-one, Ponyboy. Besides, as long as you live under _my_ roof, you will not touch one ounce of alcohol. You're grounded!" he said. Ponyboy got up from the chair and pushed past his older brother. "Where are you going!?"

Pony flopped onto Darry's reclining chair and picked up the phone. He punched in the familiar numbers and allowed it to ring.

On the fifth ring, someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Soda?" Ponyboy asked.

"Nah, this is Steve. But I'll go get Soda," Pony heard a hollow bang and assumed Steve had set the phone down to go get his brother.

Darry had stepped into the living room. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes narrowed at his younger either. He was pissed. Ponyboy was relieved when Soda answered.

"Hey, Pony! What's up?"

"Darry found about me drinking; he grounded me, Soda," Ponyboy explained. Darry slapped his forehead and sighed.

"Are you really telling on me to Soda? Out of all people, you choose Sodapop?" Ponyboy ignored his older brother and continued speaking with Soda. Finally, Sodapop wanted to talk to Darry. Pony handed the phone off, and let the two talk it out.

"I understand . . . . Soda, he's nineteen . . . . It was Dally!? . . . . Okay, fine. I won't punish him, but next time . . . . What'd Steve do? . . . . Okay, see you later, little buddy," Darry hung the phone up and looked at Ponyboy. "You're lucky. Sodapop just saved your butt. You're not grounded this time, but if it happens a third time, you'll never see the daylight again." Pony smiled.

"Thanks, Dar. It won't happen again!" he got up from the chair and ran off to his room. Darry sighed and fell onto the couch.

Pony was starting to walk all over him.

* * *

**review loves. :)**

**send me a pm if you'd like to see something in the chapters to come. I'll do my best to work it it! remember, I give credit if I use your idea!**


	8. He's Got a Secret

**So, I'm an hour and a half late for updating; I apologize for that! But, this chapter is over 3,000 words. That's way more than my normal 1,000 word chapters. I hope that makes up for the delay.**

**All right, so according to some reviews, my understanding of the chapter was different from some of yours. I included the last part because Soda had reassured Pony that Darry wouldn't find out, but since he did, it goes to show that Soda isn't the best person to trust with big situations like that. And about Ponyboy's personality, I only said that Steve changed for some reason that's unknown to us. Besides Pony is still a teenager; he's going to act whiny and stuff. Thats how I see that chapter. Does it make a little more sense...?**

Anyway, when you get done reading, please review. I like to see what you guys say, and it helps me improve my writing. :)

* * *

Steve played with the torn cloth on the edge of his seat. He had been sitting in the parking lot of Tulsa's elementary school for the past five minutes, and he was already becoming anxious. He wanted Sherri to get here, so they could get this over. Despite the nervousness, Steve sort of missed the school. Him and Soda use to mess with the little soc girls here. It made school worth going to.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the bright red car pull into the parking lot. Steve opened his door and slowly climbed out of his truck. He was ready to get this over with. He was ready to get this over with, so he and Michelle could go back to his house. Steve stepped onto the sidewalk and shoved his hands in his back pockets. Sherri slowed her car to a stop; she looked up at Steve happily.

"Hello, Steve!" she exclaimed happily. Sherri quickly unbuckled herself as did Michelle. Both girls climbed eagerly out of the car. As soon as the five year-old touched the pavement, she took off to her dad. Steve smiled and scooped her up into his arms. Michelle hugged him happily. "Here's Michelle's bag." Sherri made her way to the truck, grabbing their daughter's bag. Steve moved towards her and took the bag with Yogi Bear on it.

"Do you like my bag, Daddy?" Michelle asked, laying her head on her father's shoulder. Steve smiled and nodded his head. He slung the bag on his shoulder and walked to his truck. "What are you doing?" she asked again. Instead of responding, Steve opened the driver's door and gently placed Michelle's stuff on his seat.

"We're going to get you enrolled for kindergarten," Steve smiled. Sherri met up with the two, and the small, unofficial family headed into the school together. Steve stepped through the doors, and a smile immediately worked its way onto his face. The place hadn't changed one bit. It was still the same, rundown school he remembered.

Sherri took the lead and led them into the office, which was placed right inside the doors. A secretary typed away busily at her keyboard before making eye contact. After a couple clicks of her mouse, she looked up happily at the group.

"Welcome to JFK Elementary School. What can I do for y'all today?" the lady's green eyes flickered from Sherri to Steve and finally landed on Michelle. "Ooh, who is this little cutie?" the girl cooed. Michelle looked at her, unsure of how to react. Sherri sighed and stepped forward.

"We're here to enroll our daughter into one of your kindergarten classes," she explained, gesturing towards Michelle. The secretary tore her eyes off Michelle and looked towards Sherri.

"All right, you three may take a seat. I'll call the principal, and he'll be out with y'all. By the way, my name is Ms. Grey, the school's secretary," she explained offering a hand out to Sherri. She smiled and shook Ms. Grey's hand in return.

"I'm Sherri Valance," she pulled her hand back and gestured towards Steve. "This is Steve Randle." Ms. Grey's smile disappeared, but she slowly nodded her head. Steve had to hold in his new forming laugh. The look she was sending their way was priceless. It was obvious she was trying to figure out why they don't have the same last name. Sherry retreated to the seat next to Steve.

XxXxXxX

As soon as Principal Hurly noticed Steve Randle sitting in his office with a child in his lap, he groaned. He wasn't ready to deal with the Steve and Soda experience _again._ He knew history repeated itself, but he thought this would've happened more than twelve years later. This was just too soon for him.

The group moved into the smaller desk. Steve's smirk grew bigger. This place was all too familiar. Sherri looked at him weirdly before she decided to comment.

"What's up with you?" she asked nervously. The two took a seat in front of the oak desk. Behind them, Mr. Hurly shut the door. Michelle squirmed around on Steve's lap, finally settling once she got comfortable. She curled up to her father and closed her eyes. Sherri looked at her and sighed. "She's been up since six o'clock this morning. She wasn't feeling great, and she couldn't fall asleep." Sherri explained sadly. "She was complaining of a stomach ache, and as far as I know, it's gone away."

Mr. Hurly soon joined the little girl and her parents. He took a seat behind his desk and looked from Sherri to Steve then to Michelle, just like the secretary, Ms. Grey, had done earlier. A slight smirk formed on his face.

"I would've never guessed that Sherri Valance would marry Steve Randle – the trouble maker," he said chuckling. Sherri shook her head slowly while Steve stared at the older man blankly. Mr. Hurly stopped laughing and his serious face became plastered onto his face like before. He stared at Steve and narrowed his eyes. "Mr. Randle . . . I thought you were gone for good after the fifth grade." Steve's blank face suddenly felt the urge to smirk.

"No," he said happily. "You'll be seein' me a lot more, Sir. I'm here to enroll my daughter into one of your fine kindergarten classes," Mr. Hurly sighed.

"Is she anything like you?" he asked nervously. "Lord help me if she is . . ." Sherri sat up and jumped into the conversation quickly.

"No, Mr. Hurly. She only looks like Steve; she doesn't act like him," she quickly said. The principal instantly looked relieved.

"We don't need another Steve Randle in this school," Mr. Hurly said under his breath. He opened up one of his drawers and rummaged through it before pulling out a Manila folder. He opened it up silently and skimmed through the papers. "Sign these papers, and in a few days, you'll receive information regarding the open house that is coming up. Plus, it'll contain a lot of other things too. A lot of parents said it's very helpful." Steve suddenly remembered why he didn't like Mr. Hurly. He talked in the same, monotone voice. It always made Soda and him want to drive their fists through a wall.

Sherri did what he requested. As she did that, Steve looked around the office to pass the time. He was bored out of his mind. Finally, he decided he'd play with Michelle. She was probably as bored as him. Steve looked at her as best as he could. Just his luck. She was asleep. Steve found himself smiling when he heard her quietly snoring. Was it wrong to love her as much as he did?

XxXxXxX

Michelle watched the town fly by. Her mother and father had her enrolled, and now it was time to go home with Steve. Sherri seemed nervous but happy that Michelle was going to his house. And little Michelle . . . Well, she was beyond excited. She didn't stop talking in the car, and normally, that would've bugged Steve a whole lot, but he didn't mind. In fact, he was happy she was this excited to come home with him. He was just afraid she'd be disappointed that he lives in such a crappy house. Hopefully she wouldn't mind.

When Steve shut the car off, Michelle quickly unbuckled and crawled out of the truck at lightning speed.

"Slow down, munchkin," he chuckled, grabbing her bag. Michelle ran up the stairs and stood in front of the door. She turned around and looked at her dad with the biggest smile. Steve shut the door behind him and slung the bag onto his shoulder. "You're really excited to be here, ain't you?" he asked, twisting the knob. Steve pushed the door open; his smile instantly fell from his face. This couldn't be happening.

_Everyone_ was at their house. The only people missing were Darry and Dally.

Michelle pushed past Steve and ran into the house. As soon as she noticed the other boys, she stopped moving. Two-Bit looked at Steve with a raised eyebrow. Soda stared at Michelle happily, and Ponyboy and Johnny didn't know what to think.

"Steve, who is this?" Ponyboy asked slowly. Steve stepped into the house and shut the door behind him. He sat Michelle's bag down on the ground in attempts to avoid the guys. Eventually, Soda jumped up from the couch. He walked over to the five year-old. He got onto her level, and it looked like he was proposing. One knee was touching the ground while the other one was bent at a ninety degree angle. Soda smiled and placed his elbow on his knee. Michelle looked at him, unsure of what to think; Soda's smile only grew bigger. He finally tore his attention away from the little girl and looked at his best friend.

"Is this her, Stevie?" he asked. Steve nodded his head slowly. Soda looked back at Michelle. "Hi, I'm your Uncle Soda." Michelle smiled. "We'll have lots of fun together." Steve shook his head and sighed.

"Don't do anything stupid with her, Soda," he said, moving towards their worn down couch. Steve plopped next to Johnny. Soda took a seat on the ground; Michelle copied his action, and the two starting messing around with one another. Steve tore his attention off of those two and looked around the room, eventually meeting Pony's gaze.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Ponyboy asked. Two-Bit and Johnny looked at Steve, waiting for his response. Steve took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.

"Guys, this is my daughter, Michelle; Michelle this is Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-Bit," Steve introduce plainly. The three boys continued staring at him. Steve looked at each of the awkwardly. "What?"

"How long have you had a child?" Two-Bit asked slowly. Steve looked towards him blankly.

"Well, Two-Bit. You tell me, she's five," Steve spoke sarcastically. In response, Two-Bit rolled his eyes.

"Lay off, Steve. He didn't know," Ponyboy said, defending his friend. It was Steve's turn to roll his eyes. "Who's the mother?"

"Her mother is Sherri Valance,"

XxXxXxX

Sherri stared at the basket of chicken wings expressionless. Somehow, Michelle and Randy had talked her into coming to the bar with them. She only agreed to go so she could try to forget about Michelle. In her five years of life, this was the first time she had gone to someone's house to stay the night. Sherri trusted Steve, but she was afraid something was going to happen.

"Hey!" a voice chirped happily. Sherri snapped out of her trance and looked up. Her friend from work, Kathleen, was approaching her. Kathleen took a seat opposite of the red head. "What are you doing here?"

Sherri smiled.

"I think the more appropriate question is: what are _you_ doing here?" she laughed. Kathleen started laughing herself. "Aren't you too young?" Kathleen calmed down and shook her head.

"No, it's my birthday. I just turned twenty-one," Kathleen answered. Sherri's eyes widened. Ever since she met her that one day at the diner, she could have sworn that girl was eighteen. "Where's your little one tonight?" Sherri sighed.

"She's at her father's house for the night," Sherri answered. Kathleen smiled. "My friend's invited me to the bar to get my mind off of her." As soon as she finished that sentence, Marcia ran to the table happily with a buzzed Randy behind her. Kathleen stared at Marcia with a smile on her face.

"Hi, I'm Kathleen!" she exclaimed.

"My name is Marcia," Marcia turned back to Sherri. "You need to forget about Michelle for the night. Loosen up, have a drink or two!" Sherri shook her head remembering what happened last time she drank alcohol.

_January, 1965_

_Joyce Barker entered the party happily with an emotionless Cherry Valance in tow. Cherry didn't want to be here. She would've much rather have been hanging out with Marcia; unfortunately for her, Marcia was sick with a bad case of the flu._

_Joyce stopped moving and turned to look at Cherry, who observed the scene in disgust. The atmosphere was smoky, more than likely a combination of cigarettes and illegal drugs. The smoke wasn't what bothered Cherry though. What bothered her was the group of greasers in the corner. She had come across her share of greasers in her seventeen years. Some of them weren't bad, but others were exactly like Dallas Winston._

_"I heard Andrew say there was beer around here somewhere. Let's go find it," Joyce said. Before Cherry could protest, she was being pulled towards the kitchen. Joyce stepped into the small room and nearly squealed in delight at the sight. Sitting on the table were at least six cases of beer. Cherry's eyes widened, and she was starting to wish she hadn't let Joyce talk her into coming. "Come on, let's go drink one." She whispered, pulling Cherry towards the table. Joyce eagerly tore into the box. She pulled two bottles out and handed one to her friend. Cherry eyed it and gingerly grabbed it. Joyce pulled the top off hers and began chugging away. She eventually pulled away and looked at Cherry. "Come, just drink one bottle. You'll have so much more fun if you do it." She sighed before taking the top of._

_Cherry didn't want to drink. In fact, she hated beer. But she knew how Joyce was. She'd beg and beg until her victim gave in. In Cherry's opinion this was much easier. Joyce watched her happily as the girl took a drink._

_The alcohol stung her throat. She pulled the bottle away and started coughing which resulted in her friend laughing. Joyce patted her on the back and smiled._

_"Don't worry, it gets easier with each bottle," she said, walking away. Cherry rolled her eyes and watched Joyce walk away._

_XxXxXxX_

_After two beers, Cherry was beyond drunk. She stumbled into the living room and found a group of teens sitting in a circle. As best as she could, Cherry walked to them._

_"What are you guys doing?" she asked, taking a seat in between Mason Ryder and Lisa Smith. Mason looked at the drunken soc and smirked._

_"We're playing spin the bottle with a twist. If it lands on you, you have to complete a dare with the person who spun the bottle. Want to play?" he asked. Cherry nodded her head eagerly. "Okay, well, after Steve, you can have a turn." Cherry watched as the dark haired teen leaned forward. He grabbed a hold of the bottle and flicked his wrist. The glass started spinning widely._

_After several seconds, the bottle stopped moving. When it stopped in front of Cherry, several noises emerged from the crowd. Mason started laughing. He had the greatest dare for a greaser and a soc. He leaned over and whispered it in his friend, Richard's, ear. Richard was a loud mouth and Mason knew he'd share the dare immediately. As soon as he heard the challenge, his mouth formed an O before contorting into a smirk._

_"I dare you two to go to the bedroom," Richard wiggled his eyebrows as the words left his mouth. Several kids gasped. Cherry eyed Steve happily. They both stood up and headed to Mason's older brother's room. When they arrive, the two wasted absolutely no time._

_XxXxXxX_

_Cherry slowly opened her eyes. The bright sunlight added to her pounding headache. She groaned and rubbed her eyes before trying to slip out of bed. Cherry tried to move around until she realized something was holding her down. She looked around quickly, and as soon as she noticed him, a loud gasp escaped her lips. She had slept with a greaser. The greaser removed his arm and rolled over, and to Cherry's relief, he never woke up. She quickly climbed out of bed and collected her clothes. She slipped into them and raced towards the door._

_The whole house was a mess, and Cherry felt bad for his parents. She didn't remember last night at all, but she was guessing it was crazy considering how trashed the rooms were. Cherry quietly opened the door before racing out the door. She remembered showing up with Joyce, and once she realized Joyce wasn't there anymore, Cherry sighed._

_She had to walk home, and her house was at least three miles away. That was her guess since she was on the East side. What would her parents say? They would be absolutely furious with her. She rubbed her temples and continued down the sidewalk._

XxXxXxX

Steve tucked Michelle into his bed and smiled. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling away.

"Good night, munchkin. I love you," Steve said, standing up straight. Michelle yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I love you too, Daddy," she answered, closing her eyes. Steve headed towards the door and shut the light off behind him. He stepped back into the living room and found Dallas laughing his ass off over something.

"What's wrong with him?" Steve asked curiously, taking a seat next to Soda. Sodapop shook his head sadly and sighed.

"I'm not even sure," he answered. Two-Bit perked up, and a big smile formed on his face.

"Dally, did you hear the news?" Two-Bit asked him casually. Dallas calmed down and shook his head.

"Nah, man. What news? Did they catch Tim Shepard? Man, I told him not to take two cases of beer, but he didn't listen . . ." Two-Bit shook his head.

"Naw, man. Steve's a dad," Steve's eyes widened. Dally's did too. "He hooked up with that broad. What's her name, Steve? Carrie? Man, it's the girl Ponyboy use to have a crush on. She was datin' the soc, Bob." Dallas looked at Steve with a smirk on his face.

"You had a kid with Cherry Valance?" he asked. Steve rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Good for you, man. She was one good lookin' broad. Ponyboy would be jealous. He sure was crushin' on her hard, wasn't he, Soda?" Sodapop groaned.

"Shut up, Dal," he responded.

XxXxXxX

Steve pulled his blanket back and crawled into bed next to his daughter. She rolled over, and Steve mentally swore at himself. Thankfully, Michelle didn't wake up. Steve slid down and got comfortable. As soon as he was situated, he relaxed and closed his eyes. Michelle curled up to him, and Steve smiled, wrapping his arm around the little girl. Eventually, he fell asleep happy.

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	9. Here in Your Arms

**I hate to say this, but I might not be able to update on Tuesday. My insulin pump is coming that day, so I'm probably going to spend a majority of my day figuring that thing out. I mean, I'll try my hardest, but there are no guarantees. I'm so sorry.**

**When you get done reading, please review. I like seeing what you guys have to say, and your feedback makes my day. :)**

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Michelle opened her eyes slowly. She looked around the small room, and once she realized she was alone, tears formed in her eyes. She grabbed her teddy bear tightly and carefully climbed out of the bed. Michelle hurried across the floor and opened the door before stepping into the hallway. A couple tears trickled down her cheek as she wandered into the living room.

Soda looked up from whatever he was doing. A big smile was cemented onto his face like usual. Michelle wandered farther into the living room, and once Sodapop noticed her tears, he frowned. Michelle looked at him sadly.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" Soda asked. Michelle walked over towards him. When she reached him, she sat her teddy bear on the couch and grabbed Sodapop's knee.

"Where's my daddy?" she asked. More tears filled her eyes. Soda picked her up and placed her on his right leg. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. He had to go into work for a couple hours. He'll be back soon," Soda laughed. "He didn't think you'd be up before he got back." Michelle started to cry harder.

"I-I want h-him," she sobbed. Michelle buried her face into her teddy bear. Soda frowned and patted her back.

"Don't cry, kiddo. He'll be back shortly," he reassured. Michelle didn't listen; she continued to cry. Occasionally a whimper would escape her lips, and all Soda could do was sit there and rub her back.

XxXxXxX

Steve came home an hour later. He wiped the grease off his hands and stepped into the house. Soda looked at him sadly with Michelle on his lap. Steve looked at them quizzically while stuffing the dirty rag into his back pocket.

"What happened?" he asked nervously. Sodapop sighed and shook his head. He gently placed the still crying girl on the couch and stood up. His shoulder and part of his chest were wet with Michelle's tears.

"She woke up an hour after you left, and she was crying. She asked where you were, and when I told her, she started crying harder," Soda explained. Steve chewed on his lip and looked at his daughter. He took a seat next to her and pulled the little girl onto his lap. "Michelle, your daddy is home." She pulled away from her teddy bear and looked up.

Steve frowned. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was bright red. It looked like she had been crying for the past few days.

Once Michelle realized Steve was right in front her, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his shirt. Despite the fact that it was stained with grease and oil.

"I miss you," she mumbled into his chest. Steve pulled her hair back and rubbed her back.

"I didn't go far," he said in return. Michelle pulled away from him and wiped her eyes. "I was thinking that maybe we could go get ice cream and go to the park before your mommy comes to pick you up." Her eyes lit up.

"I want ice cream!" the five year-old explained excitedly. Steve smiled and stood up. Michelle hung onto him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'll be back later, Soda," Steve called to his friend who had relocated to the kitchen. Steve opened the door and stepped through. He wasn't home very long, and it was already started to cool down.

"Daddy, it's cold," Michelle said. Steve nodded his head and advanced towards his truck.

"Thats because there's going to be a storm later today," he explained. He reached his truck and opened the door. Steve sat Michelle on the seat and allowed her to crawl into the middle. Steve got in after her, and the two buckled up. Steve started the truck and pulled out of the driveway. The truck then rolled its way to the ice cream shop downtown.

XxXxXxX

"Daddy . . . You look sad," Michelle told him. Steve shook his head and looked at his daughter. A smile formed on his face when he noticed his daughter's mouth was covered. "I make it better."

Michelle stood up on the seat and wrapped her arms around Steve. She looked at him with a big smile before leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

"Thanks, kiddo," Steve smiled. Michelle pulled away from him. Her smile was even bigger if that was physically possible. Steve reached up and gingerly touched his cheek. Just as he expected, it was sticky. "After you finish your ice cream, we're going to clean that face of yours."

"I don't want to, Daddy," she said stubbornly. Steve nodded his head and continued smiling.

"We have to. Your mommy won't be very happy if you go home, and your face is a mess," he answered. Michelle shrugged and licked her cone.

"Mommy will give me a bath tonight," she answered simply. Steve rolled his eyes and smiled.

"If we don't wash your face, we can't go to the park, and then we'll have to go home to Uncle Soda . . ." Steve looked around the shop before leaning in towards his daughter. "And between you and me, he doesn't shower a lot." Michelle covered her mouth quickly with her hand and started laughing. "Don't tell him I told you; he'll be sad."

"I won't tell him, Daddy. I promise," Michelle finished off her ice cream. Steve and her crawled out of their seat and headed towards the bathroom. Steve opened the door for the men's restroom, and Michelle stopped. "I can't go there." She said, looking at him.

"You can just once," Steve leaned down and picked her up. "Come on, let's got get your face cleaned." The two entered the room; Michelle buried her face in Steve's shirt, hoping to go unnoticed by any other males present.

Steve approached the sink and sat his daughter on the counter. She looked at him sadly and waited for Steve to clean her mouth.

"Daddy, I don't like the bathroom," she said. Steve merely smiled and grabbed a wad of paper towel. He got it wet and began to wipe off her face. Halfway through, Michelle stopped him. "I do it." She spoke, grabbing the wet wad out of his hand. Steve watched her wipe away the remnants of her chocolate ice cream. Once she was done, Steve smiled.

"Ready to go to the park?"

XxXxXxX

The first thing she did when they arrived was run to the swings. Steve followed after her. When he passed the fountain, he nearly shuddered. That's where those socs tried to drown Ponyboy.

Steve pushed the thought out of his head and followed after his daughter. She managed to pull herself onto the swing, and once she got situated, she stared at Steve happily.

"Push me, Daddy!" she chirped. Steve got behind her and pushed the swing forward. Michelle squealed in delight. Steve continued pushing her, and once she got going, he backed off. He didn't need his little girl to fall off and hurt herself.

Not only would Sherri be furious, but Steve wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Michelle got bored of the swing quickly. Steve pulled her to a stop where she leaped off happily. She grabbed a hold of her dad's hand and pulled him into the open grass. Michelle looked at him with a big smile on her face.

"You're it!" she exclaimed, pushing on his legs. Michelle turned around and quickly took off running. Steve smirked and gave her a couple second head start before following her.

Michelle screamed happily.

"I'm going to get you," Steve teased, following quite a ways behind her. Michelle turned to look at him. When she noticed he was far away, she stopped running.

"Nor uh!" she screamed back. Steve took off at full speed once he realized she wasn't moving. Michelle's eyes widened and a loud shriek escaped her lips.

Steve's smirk grew bigger.

He continued to charge her, but she didn't move. Once he reached her, Steve scooped Michelle into his arms and slowly came to a stop.

Steve started kissing his little girl who merely squirmed in response. A big smile was plastered on her face as she tried to get away from her dad.

"Daddy, stop," she giggled. Steve listened and pulled back, pretending to be hurt.

"What's wrong? Do you not love me?" he asked. Michelle's smile continued to grow.

"I love you bunches!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. Steve closed his eyes and enjoyed her love. A small, satisfied smile occupied his face.

"I love you too, Michelle,"

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	10. Best Friends and Boyfriends

**Guys, I am in love with Tom Cruise's singing. It is literally the greatest thing I've ever heard. His version of "Wanted Dead or Alive" makes me melt. No joke. It's pretty fricken amazing. :D**

**So, I am deeply sorry for the lack of Sherri / Michelle moments. I'm a sucker for the guys playing with their kids. I honestly think it's a lot cuter when guys play with little kids than when girls do. So, this story is probably going to be loaded with Steve / Michelle moments, but I promise to try and even them out, so there is an equal amount.**

**When you get done reading, please review. :) I appreciate your feedback, and it really makes my day. I like to see your thought on the chapter. :)**

* * *

Sherri drove Michelle to school with a big smile on her face. Normally, she was a very happy person, but what had been going on recently made her even happier. First thing, Michelle was starting her first day of school today; second thing, Sherri got a different position at work; third thing, she and Steve had grown a lot closer.

She wasn't entirely sure what had happened between them. The two held a common friendship, but when Sherri went to pick Michelle up after she had spent the night with him, the connection between the two felt different almost.

Sherri felt like a little school girl.

Her feelings for her child's father had grown stronger. She was starting to get the feeling that he was the one. That was something she couldn't say about Bob. Sure, she loved him, but to her, he would be nothing more than a boyfriend. But Steve was an entirely different story. Sherri would be lying if she said she didn't feel something for the ex-greaser.

Days after the connection changed, Steve called Sherri and asked her out on a date. It wasn't a lunch date; it was an actual date. Steve took her to the drive-in. Again, she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it. For a first date, the two remained close to each other the entire night. When it started to get cold, Steve sacrificed his warmth for hers. He gave her his leather jacket. Sherri nearly swooned at that. Bob _never_ did that for her. He would've made a negative comment about not wearing anything more.

The dates became frequent. The two would always spend Saturdays together. Either at Sherri's apartment or the two would go out. Then, Soda or her parents would watch little Michelle. Sherri knew the two were on the verge of becoming a couple. She hoped that it would be confirmed soon.

Sherri pulled up to the curb of JFK elementary school. She put the car in park before turning to look at her daughter. Sherri smiled. Michelle was dressed in her favorite purple dress with her white dress shoes. Sherri had pinned Michelle's hair back with a white flower clip. All in all, Michelle looked absolutely adorable.

She looked at her mother; the pain was evident in her brown eyes. Sherri stared back into her daughter's eyes and frowned. This couldn't be happening. Earlier, she was all excited to go to school, and now she was beginning to get nervous. Sherrie offered Michelle a comforting smile.

"You'll be fine, sweetheart. Don't be nervous. You remember where your classroom is, don't you?" Michelle nodded her head and continued to stare at her mother sadly. "All you have to do is walk into her room and find a seat. Your teacher will tell you what to do from there. Mommy loves you."

"I love you too," Michelle opened the door and carefully crawled out of the car. Sherri watched her shut the door and walk into her school before pulling off to begin her journey to work.

Michelle remained quiet as she stepped into the school. She remembered what her mother had told her and walked to her class. She passed by several lockers and ignored the stares of the older students who had just got done with recess. Michelle was growing more and more nervous.

She wanted her mommy or daddy.

Michelle reached her classroom and entered. Several kids were already there, and the little girl was forced to sit by a boy with copper colored hair. Not even bothering to ask if the seat was taken, Michelle sat down. The little boy looked up at her and smiled.

"Hi!" he chirped. Michelle looked at him, a smile forming on her face. The little boy's brown eyes stared back at her.

"Hi," she replied. The boy's smile grew bigger.

"My name is Joseph. What's yours?" he asked curiously. Michelle kicked her feet back and forth since they didn't touch the ground.

"I'm Michelle," she replied back. The two continued talking, and soon, they agreed to be best friends.

As soon as the bell rang, the teacher got up from her desk, closed the door, and walked to the front of the room. She stared at her young pupils with a big smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, darlings. My name is Ms. Karpinski. I'm your teacher. Welcome to kindergarten!" she exclaimed happily. Ms. Karpinski introduced herself to the class. Once she was done, she explained the assignment. They were suppose to partner up with another student and introduce themselves to each other. In the end, the two students would stand in front of the class and introduce their partner.

Michelle turned towards her best friend eagerly. Joseph turned towards her with a smile on his face.

"I'll go first," he smiled. "My name is Joseph. My birthday is March 13. I'm six! My favorite color is green . . ." Michelle listened to her friend happily, and when it was her turn, she nearly went crazy.

"I'm five! My birthday is September 17. My mommy gives people food, and my daddy fixes cars. My favorite color is white . . ." The two continued spitting information out to the other; their friendship growing stronger in the process.

XxXxXxX

Sherri slipped some change into the pay phone and entered Steve's number. She leaned against the box and waited for someone to answer.

_Dear Lord, please let him be home,_ Sherri thought to herself. Moments later, someone answered.

"Hello, this is Steve," Sherri exhaled a breath of relief.

"Steve, it's Sherri. I'm sorry for calling on such short notice, but, if it's not trouble, I need to ask you if you can pick Michelle up from school everyday. I took a later shift at work, so I could get her to school . . ." Sherri explained. Steve chuckled on the other line.

"Of course. Do you want me to call the school, so they can tell Michelle?" he asked.

"If you don't mind. I would, but I'm running late for work," she replied. On the other line, Steve smiled. She was too cute.

"All right, you go to work, and I'll call the school,"

"Thanks, Steve. You're a life saver. I'll make up to it somehow," Sherrie told him. Steve drummed his fingers on the table and smiled.

"How about going out with me Saturday?" he asked. Sherri stood there. A smile started to grow on her face.

"That sounds like fun," Sherri answered.

"I'll pick you up around seven. Now, go get to work," Steve laughed. "Bye."

"Bye," Sherri hung up the phone and laughed to herself. Once she was done, she spun around on her heel and went to clock in at the diner.

XxXxXxX

Everyone watched Ms. Karpinski answer the classroom phone. Each of them secretly wished the call pertained to them. Seconds later, the teacher hung up. She turned around and scanned the class, finally landing on the black haired girl in the front of the class.

"Michelle, that was the office. They wanted me to tell you that your dad is picking you up after school," Michelle's eyes lit up. She got to see her dad. For the rest of the day, she was jittery. All she wanted was for school to be over, so she could see Steve again.

XxXxXxX

The end of the day came quickly. Michelle quickly packed up her belongings and got in line. Ms. Karpinski made the group put a finger over their lips, so they wouldn't talk in the hall.

"Okay, I want kids who are picked up, and kids who walk in the front. Bus students, I want you behind them," the kindergarteners rearranged themselves. After they were done, Ms. Karpinski led the group to the gym.

Michelle was amazed at all the parents in the gym. There were a lot of them! Her eyes darted from person to person, but she couldn't find Steve. Michelle took a seat against the wall like the teacher instructed and waited for her dad.

A couple students sat near Michelle, but no one talked to her. It made her sad. She didn't have any other friends, and her only best friend rode the bus.

Her eyes glanced at the bus students. She quickly found her friend who was already looking back at her. He started making funny faces, and Michelle resisted the urge to laugh.

As soon as she was starting to enjoy herself, Joseph's bus line got called. He and a bunch of other students stood up and walked out to the bus. Boredom was starting to set in with the young girl again.

"Michelle," she heard someone say. Her head snapped up in the direction of the familiar voice. Steve was walking towards her. She got up off the ground and took off running towards her dad.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging his legs. Steve smiled and picked up his daughter. Michelle hugged him tightly.

"How was your day, princess?" Steve asked, exiting the gym. Michelle played with the collar of his work shirt.

"I had a lot of fun!" she answered. Considering he had parked alongside the curb, they reached the truck in no time. Steve opened the door and placed his daughter inside.

"Did you make any friends?" he asked, shutting the door before she could respond. He walked around to his side and got in the truck. Michelle looked at him tiredly.

"I have a best friend, Daddy. His name is Joseph," she spoke. Steve started his truck and pulled away from the school.

"Did you make any friends that were girls?" he asked, trying to ignore the fact that his daughter was best friends with a boy. Michelle shook her head.

"He's nice, Daddy," she insisted. Steve focused on the road and nodded his head slowly.

"I'm sure he is, Michelle. I'm sure he is," he said under his breath.

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	11. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You

**I will warn you - these next couple of chapter are going to be . . . hmm, dramatic? That works I guess. So, you have be warned. In the next chapter something crazy happens, but that's all I'll say. I want to get you excited for the next update. :D**

**Also, check out the poll on my page relating to future content pertaining to Joseph and Michelle. :)**

**When you get done reading, please review. :) I like to see what you have to say about the chapter. It makes my day too. I appreciate every review, guys!**

Sodapop stared at Steve wordlessly. His best friend paced around their living room, complaining about how Michelle was best friends with a boy. He kept mumbling about how much it bothered him too. Soda averted his eyes towards the ground and sighed. Steve didn't seem to notice. Moments later, Sodapop looked back up at his best friend.

"Stevie, they're kindergartners," he said softly. Steve stopped moving and looked at him. His eyes narrowed. "They're friends. Sure, they might pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but it won't be real; it'll be _pretend_." A small band of red seemed to form around Steve's iris. He stared at his best friend angrily.

"That doesn't help any, Sodapop," Steve answered in a low, dangerous voice. Soda rolled his eyes and stood up. He walked over to the young father and gingerly placed his hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Let her be friends with 'im. What's the worst that could happen?" he asked, staring Steve in the eyes. Steve held the eye contact before caving and breaking away. He looked towards the worn out carpet and sighed.

"I dunno," Steve mumbled reluctantly. Sodapop found himself starting to smile. Steve felt his eyes burning into his skull. He averted his eyes upward towards his friend. Soda's smile only grew bigger. Steve shook his head and sighed.

"You're right. I'm overreacting,"

XxXxXxX

Sherri happily crawled into the front of Steve's truck. She shut the door behind her and looked towards her almost boyfriend. Steve stared back at her with a big lopsided grin on his face. Sherri felt her cheeks starting to heat up.

"Good evening, Sherri," he greeted. He tore his attention away from the red head and started the truck. The two of them sat in silence for a majority of the ride, small talk occurred here and there.

Ten minutes later, Steve parked the truck in front of the big screen. He turned towards Sherri and smiled.

"I hope you don't mind being here," he said softly. Sherri stared at him in awe. She felt herself falling for him more when she noticed the slight blush spreading throughout his cheeks.

"As long as I'm with you," she answered, mentally slapping herself at how cheesy that sound. Steve laughed softly. To change the subject, Sherri slid over closer to Steve. In response, Steve wrapped his arm around her. Chills of delight ran down her spine.

"Are you cold?" Steve asked curiously. He pulled away from her and began to take his leather jacket off. Sherri watched him for a second before responding.

"I am," she lied. Steve took his jacket off completely and draped it over Sherri's shoulders. She snuggled into it and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. It smelt like him. It smelt like Old Spice cologne. Most importantly . . . It smelt like Steve. He wrapped his arm around her again, and she snuggled into his embrace. "Thanks, Steve." Sherri murmured, closing her eyes. Before she fell asleep, she felt him press his lips to her forehead.

"Anything for you, darling," he whispered.

XxXxXxX

Steve gently shook Sherrie as soon as the movie was over. She stirred slightly before sitting up. Sherri rubbed her eyes before meeting Steve's gaze. He stared back at her with a smirk.

"You sure are adorable when you sleep," he said. Sherri rolled her eyes and yawned. "Ready for me to take you home?" she nodded her head, and Steve started the truck to drive his date home.

XxXxXxX

The two adults stopped at the door leading to Sherri's apartment. She turned around and looked up at him with a small smile on her face. Steve looked down at her happily.

"I had fun tonight," he said softly. Sherri's smile grew wider, and she nodded her head. "We'll have to do it again soon." Sherri bit her bottom lip and nodded her head again. This time, more slowly. Her eyes flickered from his eyes down to his lips. Once he realized what she was doing, Steve smirked. He put his hands on her curves and leaned down. Sherri closed her eyes and waited for it to happen. Seconds later, his lips met with hers. She removed her hands from the pocket of Steve's jacket and wrapped them around his neck. Their lips moved in sync. Imaginary fireworks flashed in her head.

Steve pulled away moments later. He pressed his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes. Sherri stared into his brown eyes happily.

"Does this mean . . ."

"You're my girl?" Steve smiled. Sherri felt a big smile forming on her face.

"I'm your girl," she whispered in return. Sherri pulled her forehead from his and looked at him. "What about Michelle? When should we tell her?"

"We'll tell her when the moment is right, okay?" Sherri nodded her head before laying it on Steve's shoulder. His hand ran up and down her back, and the two lovers stood in the middle of the hall.

"Do you have to leave?" Sherri asked sadly. Steve played with her hair and laughed light.

"I have to get home, and you have to go get your daughter," he answered. Sherri rolled her eyes playfully.

"She's your child too," she muttered. The couple pulled away from each other. Steve tucked a strand of Sherrie's red hair behind her ear.

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me," Steve spoke softly, catching her eyes. She nodded her head and smiled. Sherri slowly began to remove his jacket. "No, you keep it." She looked up at him. Steve leaned down one last time and kissed her softly.

XxXxXxX

Steve lied in bed that night. His mind was constantly drifting to the topic of being the man in Sherri's life. Sometimes, his mind would drift back to when he told Soda the great news. Soda nearly fell off his chair. Steve couldn't help but think about Michelle as well. Maybe someday he and Sherri would get married, and the three could actually be a family. Heck, maybe they could add onto their family.

Steve rolled onto his side and sighed.

He knew he was getting ahead of himself. The two of them had confirmed they were dating a couple hours ago, but Steve felt something for Sherri. He felt something he didn't feel with Evie. Something told him that she was the one. The one he was meant to be with. He foolishly wondered if Sherri felt that same way.

But she probably didn't.

XxXxXxX

Steve walked out into the living room, rubbing his eyes. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he sure hoped Soda had a good reason for shouting his name several times at the top of his lungs.

"It's Sherri," was all Soda had to say. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Steve had to phone to his ear, eagerly waiting to see what she needed. If she was calling this late, something had to be wrong.

"Steve, its Sherri. Michelle is sick, and she keeps crying for you. I'm trying to calm her down, but she won't listen," she explained. Steve rubbed his temples and sighed sadly.

"Hey, distract her for a few minutes. I'll be there in a few minutes," Steve answered. Sherri let out a breath of relief.

"Don't even bother knocking. Just come right in the door," The two quickly exchanged good-byes. Steve told Soda what was going on before racing out of the house. He climbed into his truck quickly and sped off to Sherri's apartment complex.

XxXxXxX

When Steve stepped into the apartment, the first thing he heard was Michelle vomiting. Sherri ran into the kitchen to grab something. When she noticed Steve, her eyes lit up.

"Steve, I'm so glad you're here!" she exclaimed, racing over to him. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling away. Her smile had turned into a sad frown. "She's been crying for you." Steve nodded his head. Sherri moved out of his way and allowed her boyfriend to go to his daughter.

Steve followed Michelle's cries. He stepped into Sherri's room and found his way to the bathroom. His little girl was leaning over the toilet; she cried harder each time she experienced a dry heave. Steve stepped into the bathroom and got down onto his knees. He put his hand cautiously on Michelle's back.

"Shhh, Michelle," Steve said softly. "Calm down, sweetheart." He added, referring to her small shaking body.

"I want Daddy," she cried. "I miss him. I want Daddy." Michelle cried harder. She lurched forward. The contents of her stomach filling the porcelain bowl. Steve took a seat on the tile and leaned against the wall. Once Michelle was finished, he gently pulled her into his lap. She struggled against him. "No, I want Daddy! I want him to protect me!" she exclaimed.

"Michelle," Steve said calmly. "It is Daddy." Michelle opened her eyes and looked at Steve. Once she recognized him, she calmed down. Steve held her close to his chest. Michelle curled up to him, and Steve frowned at the way she was shaking.

"Daddy, I'm cold," she cried, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt and burying her face in the cloth. Steve felt her forehead only to pull his hand back quickly.

"Sherri!" Steve called. The older woman raced into her bedroom. She stopped in her tracks when she saw her boyfriend and daughter curled up together on the floor. "Do you have a thermometer?" she nodded her head before stepping into the bathroom. She closed the door and got into the closet. Moments later, she pulled out a white thermometer. Steve accepted it happily. "Michelle, can you open your mouth for me?" Michelle shook her head and used the cloth to cover her face more. "Please, for Daddy?" he practically begged.

"Michelle . . ." Sherri said sternly. The little girl admitted her defeat and pulled her face out from her dad's shirt. She saw the thermometer and opened her mouth. Steve stuck the device in, and the three saw patiently.

Seconds later, the thermometer beeped. Steve pulled the tool out and looked at the number. Once it was clear, he sighed.

"What is it?" Sherri asked nervously.

"She's got a fever of 103.5," he answered. He held onto Michelle and stood up. "I think we need to get this one off to bed." Sherri nodded her head in agreement. Steve slipped past her and stepped into Sherri's room.

"Hey, Steve. Will you stay the night? In case she wakes up in the middle of the night crying for you again?" She asked, looking at him. A smile formed on his face as he nodded in response.

XxXxXxX

Steve was half asleep when he heard the squeaking of flood boards. He didn't think much of it. He figured it was Sherri getting something for Michelle. Steve rolled onto his back and took a deep breath. The squeaking noise got closer to him. Still, his barely coherent brain thought nothing of it. The person eventually grabbed a hold of Steve's shirt causing him to jolt back to life. His heart was racing; he looked around the living room. Michelle was standing in front of him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" he asked tiredly. She sniffled in response. "Did you throw up again?" Michelle shook her head.

"No, I had a bad dream, Daddy. You and Mommy died," she explained. Steve pushed the blanket off his legs and sat up. He picked Michelle up and planted her in his lap.

"So, did I scare you even more a few minutes ago when I jumped?" Steve asked softly. Michelle nodded her head. Steve hugged his daughter tightly. He slowly changed body positions, so he was lying back down. Michelle squeezed herself in between her dad and the couch. It wasn't comfortable for Steve, but if his presences made Michelle feel more comfortable, then he didn't mind.

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**review loves! :)**

**Also, check out the poll on my page.**

**Happy Valentine's Day, guys!**


	12. Tears on My Pillow

**I hope you guys like chapter twelve. I'm not so sure about it. I mean, it has some Sherri / Steve, Sherri / Michelle, and I think a little Michelle / Steve. So, that's good, right? I hope it was worth the two day wait.**

**When you get done reading, please review. I'm not so sure about this chapter, so your feedback will give me an idea of how you guys liked it or not. Besides, I like seeing what you guys have to say. :)**

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Steve groaned when he woke up the next morning. Michelle had slept on his arm the whole night, and now it was asleep. He slowly cracked his eyes open. The light blinded him for a moment, but it was nothing unbearable. Steve looked down at his daughter. A smile formed on his face, and with his free hand, he brushed her long, dark hair out of her face.

The older man glanced into the kitchen. What he saw broke his heart. Sherri was leaning onto her island, a phone in one hand, tears about ready to cascade down her cheek. Steve gently pulled himself out from underneath Michelle. He laid her gently onto the couch and joined Sherri in the kitchen.

She wiped at her eyes and continued to listen to what her mother had to say. Sherri noticed Steve get up, but she tried to ignore him; when he shuffled into the kitchen to be with her, she pretended he wasn't there. When Steve wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, Sherri let loose. Tears fell down her cheeks freely; she stifled several sobs.

"We'll be over as soon as Michelle wakes up," Sherri said. "I love you, Mom." Seconds passed before the girl heard the dial tone. She hung up and sat the phone on the counter. Sherri leaned forward and buried her face in her hands, trying to calm herself down.

"Are you all right, Sherri," Steve asked softly, pulling her closer to him. She didn't respond. Instead, her body started to shake violently, like Michelle's the night before. Steve continued holding her. Sherri stood back up and turned around before burying her face into his chest. He sighed and rubbed her back in response. "What's wrong, darling?" Sherri pulled back and wiped her eyes. Steve stared down at her sadly.

"It's my d-dad," she stammered. Steve ran his hand up and down her right arm. Sherri sniffled. "My parents were in a car a-accident. My mom is o-okay, but they don't think he's going to m-make it." Steve ran his free hand through her messy, tangled hair. Sherri began to sob harder.

"Do you want to wake Michelle up, so we can go visit him?" Steve asked, looking into her green eyes. Slowly, she nodded her head. Steve pulled away from the younger female and went to go grab his daughter.

"Wait, Steve. Don't wake her up. Let's just take her to the car," Sherri said quickly, wiping her eyes. Steve picked Michelle up carefully, praying she wouldn't wake up. Thankfully she didn't, and the two adults walked to Sherri's car in silence.

XxXxXxX

Sherri pleaded with the nurses to let the family back there, but they wouldn't budge. Steve had taken a seat on one of the benches with Michelle still sleeping. Sherri huffed and stormed her way back to her boyfriend. She flopped next to him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's wrong?"

"They said we can't see him until later. Right now, they're running tests, and only one person can be with him," she explained angrily. Michelle started to stir. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at Sherri. She tore her attention off her mother and then looked at her surroundings. Steve slowly wrapped his arm around his girlfriend.

"Don't worry, babe. They'll let you see him soon," he reassured her. Sherri snuggled into his embrace and sighed.

"I sure hope so," she mumbled. Michelle pulled away from Steve and sat up. She looked around the rest of the building.

"Mommy?" Michelle asked nervously. Sherri grabbed her daughter and pulled her onto her lap.

"We're at the hospital, sweetheart. Grandpa doesn't feel good," Sherri whispered, kissing Michelle's forehead. Michelle looked around before looking at her dad. Steve smiled at her in return.

"What's wrong with Grandpa?" she asked curiously. Sherri looked at Steve nervously. He looked back at her before glancing at his daughter. He sat up straighter and grabbed Michelle's hand.

"He and your grandma were in a car accident. He got hurt badly," Steve explained. "Hey, how are you feeling, darling?" He tried to change the subject quickly, but it was too late; Michelle's eyes started to water, and Sherri felt her forehead.

"She's still a little warm," she answered sadly.

"At least she's not as hot as she was last night," he said. Michelle curled up to her mom and closed her eyes. Slowly, the still sick Michelle fell back asleep.

XxXxXxX

About an hour later, a nurse approached the small family. She glanced at her clipboard for a few seconds before looking at Sherri.

"Are you Ms. Valance? Mr. Valance's daughter," she asked.

"Yes, I am. How's my father?" Sherri asked the nurse quickly. She didn't respond. Instead, her expression slowly changed from nothing to a frown.

"At the moment, he isn't doing too great. He lost a lot of blood in the accident, he broke his lower back, and his entire torso is covered in flames. He's in critical condition right now. Would you like to see him?" Sherri nodded her head. Steve and she both stood up before following the blonde haired nurse to her father's room.

Once they reached his room, the nurse stopped moving. She turned to look at Sherri; her grey eye looked glassy.

"Here's his room. He might not be aware of what he's saying; the doctors have him on some medication, and his brain isn't functioning properly at the moment. Don't worry, it's common," she glanced at Steve before heading back to the nurses' station. Steve slipped his hand into Sherri's and led her into the room.

Sherri handed Michelle off to her boyfriend before approaching her father's side. His eyes were shut, and his breathing was slowly. Off in the corner, a heart monitor was softly beeping. Sherri took a seat in the chair next to his bed. It squeaked underneath her weight; her father opened his eyes and weakly looked at his daughter.

"Where's the little one?" he asked slowly. Sherri frowned and forced away the new coming tears. His voice was raspy. It sounded as if he had been a smoker for the past fifteen years. Sherri nodded her head in Steve's direction. Mr. Valance weakly looked towards the younger male. Steve stepped farther into the room. A small smile formed on Mr. Valance's face. "Are you two finally a couple?"

"Yes, sir," Steve answered, sitting in the chair opposite of the older man's bed. Mr. Valance chuckled slightly.

"I don't do that kind of garbage. Please, call me Tom," he insisted. Steve nodded his head obediently. Tom looked at Michelle's sleeping form. "What'd you do, Sherri? Did you not allow her to go to bed?" Sherri wiped her eyes and smiled.

"No, last night she wasn't feeling good. She spent a good hour throwing up," Sherri explained. "How are you feeling?" Tom groaned.

"I'm doing all right at the moment. Once this medication starts to wear off, it's going to be pretty painful. I can't feel anything below my back. I'm stuck to a wheelchair for the rest of my life, Sher. That is, if I get out of this place. Besides that, I'm as good as an old man can get."

"Dad, don't say that. You're going to be fine. Soon, you're going to be back with Mom," Sherri insisted. Tom sighed sadly and shook his head.

"Sher, I've heard what the doctors say when they think I'm asleep. They don't think I'm going to make it," Tom said. Sherri squeaked. She buried her face in her hands and cried. Steve got up from his seat slowly. He walked over to the red head and ran his hand up and down her spine.

Steve looked over at her dad. Tom was staring back at him; a smile was evident on his face. He nodded his head slowly, showing he was thankful his daughter had someone like him in her life.

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**review loves. :)**


	13. Haters

**So, I don't know how it happened, but I uploaded earlier, and somehow, the chapter got deleted. But, no fears, I'm here to re-upload it. :)**

**This is my favorite chapter. There are some moments in here that I nearly died writing. I hope my writing is good enough that you guys nearly die reading this chapter. ;) Also, there is some swearing in this chapter. It's not bad though, but I felt I should warn you guys.**

**When you get done reading, please review. Your feedback is what inspires me to write. Plus, I smile when I read what you guys have to say. I like smiling.**

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Shortly after Sherri and Michelle left for work and school, Steve decided to go to the hospital. He needed something to do until three o'clock, and he was sure Tom was bored out of his mind. When he arrived, the nurse let him right in unlike yesterday.

Tom looked away from the window, and when he recognized Steve, his eyes lit up. Steve stepped into his room and grabbed a chair. He dragged it behind him and dropped it in front of the window. Steve took a seat before meeting Tom's gaze.

"Steve, I'm glad you're here alone," Tom smiled. "I wanted to speak with you. I'd like to know what kind of guy my daughter likes." Steve continued looking at him and made no effort to hold back the forming smiling.

"I have nothing to do until three o'clock, so I decided to come visit my girl's father," he answered, looking around the small room. Tom continued to stare at Steve. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I know you just arrived, but I want you to take good care of my girls. I know I'm not going to be around much longer, so I'm trusting you to be there for them; I'm trusting you to be the perfect gentleman with them, Steve," Against his wishes, Steve started to tear up. He nodded his head slowly and wiped his eyes.

"I could never imagine being anything different to them," Steve spoke truthfully. Tom's smile grew bigger as he lied back on the pillow.

"So, Kid, tell me about yourself," Tom said, averting his eyes to the ceiling. Steve took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Where do I start?" he chuckled. "My momma died when I was younger. I don't remember what happened, but according to my old man, she was real sick. After her death, my old man and I started to butt heads. I will admit, I was pretty stubborn as a teenager, but for the most part, I'd like to think I've grown out of it. Anyway, I would make the littlest mess up, and he'd kick me out of the house. To make up for it, he'd pay me. I don't know why; I had a job. I worked at the DX with my best friend. Now, the two of us work at that car shop downtown. My best friend's name is Sodapop Curtis; we were a part of the greaser gang together. Those were the good days . . ." Steve trailed off. Tom looked towards the boy, waiting to see if he continued. ". . . Besides that, there's really nothin' to say about me." Tom laughed quietly.

"I never was fond of greasers. Heck, yesterday when you entered the room, I wasn't sure what to think, but so quickly you changed my mind. You're a really nice boy, Steve. Sherri is lucky to have a man like you. And Michelle . . . She's lucky to have a father like you," Steve smiled. "I hope you stay in their lives forever."

"I've thought about it," Steve said quietly, looking towards the floor. Tom cocked an eyebrow and looked at Steve.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" he asked. Steve leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Slowly, Steve picked his head up and met the older man's eyes.

"Marriage. I've thought about it," Steve repeated looking back to the ground. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I mean, I know we haven't been datin' long, but I think she's the one. Whenever I'm around her, I feel myself getting nervous, and Sherri gives me butterflies. She makes me feel loved though." Tom looked at the top of Steve's head and smiled.

"You have my blessing for whenever you decide to pop the question," Tom shared happily. Steve felt himself starting to smile.

"Thanks, Tom,"

XxXxXxX

As soon as Steve stepped into the school's gym, he was attacked. Michelle looked up at him with the biggest smile on her face. Steve leaned down and picked her up.

"How was your day, Princess?" he asked, avoiding the little kids in his way. Michelle's smile grew bigger.

"Today at recess, Joseph's brother, John, came up, and he was playing with us!" she answered happily. "He's a first grader, Daddy." Steve nodded his head as the two approached his truck.

"I understand you still haven't made any friends that are girls?" Steve inquired, opening the passenger door. Michelle nodded her head and crawled in. Steve shut the door behind her and walked to his side. His mind slowly absorbed the fact that Michelle was friends with boys. She was starting to sounds like Evie, and Steve wouldn't have that.

XxXxXxX

"Why are we here?" Michelle asked, looking at the store in front of her. Steve pulled the truck to a halt and turned it off. He looked at his daughter and smiled.

"Daddy has to buy cake mix for uncle Soda," Steve smirked. He unbuckled himself and got out of the truck. Michelle copied his actions and ran to meet up with her dad. Steve grabbed onto her hand, and the two stepped into the building.

The two of them wandered from aisle to aisle trying to find the cake mix. Somehow, the two ended up in the alcohol aisle. Steve swore under his breath and looked at Michelle. He didn't want his little girl being exposed to this stuff. He looked ahead of the two, but it was too late.

"I'm so sorry," Steve said apologizing to the man he ran in to. The guy held the case of beer in his hand tightly and looked at Steve. Once Steve realized who it was, he swore again.

It was his father.

Steve's once happy self immediately turned cold. He pulled Michelle closer to him. Steve's father looked at him and smirked before eyeing his daughter.

"Who is this?" he asked. The same cold tone that Steve was familiar with it. Steve held onto his daughter protectively. His father tore his attention away from Michelle and looked back at Steve.

"Why do you care?" Steve asked in return. His voice dripped with venom, but it didn't faze his father. Instead, his father merely got down to Michelle's level. Michelle hid behind Steve's leg and held on tightly to her father's jeans. Finally, Mr. Randle stood back up.

"C'mon, Steve. Who is she?"

"She's my daughter," Steve answered, crossing his arms. Michelle peered out at her grandfather. Mr. Randle's eyes widened. Slowly, he started shaking his head and laughing to himself.

"I should've known you'd get some girl knocked up before you were twenty," he laughed. Steve clenched his jaw and tried to keep himself from punching his old man in the face. It was only for Michelle's sake of course. If she wasn't here, Steve knew the employees would have to pull his body off the man. "Hell, Steve, don't even act like you care about her." Mr. Randle spoke, referring to how protective Steve was. "I know how you are. You hate kids. I remember you always complainin' about that one boy. But now, you have a child, and you suddenly love kids? Hell, I don't believe this act. You ain't foolin' no one."

"Shut the hell up," Steve growled.

"So, she sure looks like you. Does she act like you too? Is she a bitch?" Steve ignored his father for once. Instead, he spun around and picked up Michelle before racing away. He looked down at his little girl and noticed tears forming in her eyes.

"What's wrong, darlin'?" he asked, slowing his pace. Michelle looked up at him sadly.

"Is that true, Daddy?"

"Is what true?"

"Do you hate me?" Steve's eyes widened, and he quickly shook his head. He held her close to his body and kissed her forehead.

"Of course not, Princess. I love you lots," he answered. "Don't listen to him. He's not very nice." The two reached the truck and got in. Steve shut the door behind him and looked out the windshield. He shook his head slowly before leaning his head against the steering wheel.

He should've punched him.

Sure, Sherri wouldn't have been very happy that Michelle had to see it, but his father deserved it. His father deserved to rot in hell, and Steve hoped that would happen.

"It's all right, Daddy," Michelle said sweetly, wrapping her tiny arms around Steve's torso. He pulled away from the steering wheel and looked at his daughter; his lips curled upward in a slight smile.

"Thanks, Princess," he smiled. Michelle pulled away from him, and the two headed back to his house. Steve completely forgetting about the cake mix.

XxXxXxX

Steve groaned when the duo returned home. Sitting in the driveway was Darry's truck. Michelle looked at the truck and frowned.

"Is that Uncle Soda's?" she asked curiously. Steve turned the truck off and shook his head.

"No, it's Uncle Soda's older brother's truck," he explained. Steve opened the door and hopped out. Michelle grabbed her backpack and crawled out Steve's door.

"Daddy, will you give me a piggyback ride?" she asked. Steve looked at her blankly. Finally, he nodded his head. Michelle squealed in delight before climbing onto his back. Steve shut the door behind them and gripped her pink backpack in one hand tightly.

Honestly, Steve wasn't that excited to see Darry. He just wasn't in the mood for company other than his daughter.

Steve approached the door and used his free hand to open it. Inside, Soda and Darry were sitting on across from each other talking. Steve leaned down some so Michelle wouldn't hit her head and entered the house. Both boys looked towards the entering twosome; Soda's eyes lit up. He hopped up from the couch and raced over to his best friend.

"There's my girl," Soda exclaimed happily, peeling her from Steve's back. Michelle detached herself from Steve and went to her uncle. Steve took this opportunity to go set her stuff in the kitchen. He saw the looks he was getting from Darry, but he simply ignored them.

"Who is that?" he heard the older man ask. Steve sat her bag on the table and reentered the living room. Soda was playing with Michelle happily. Darry looked towards Steve. "Did you pick some random girl up off the side of the street?" Darry was the only one who laughed at the poor attempt of humor. Steve glared at him and shook his head.

"No," he responded slowly. "That's my daughter." Darry's eyes widened. "I know. I'm the one in the gang you'd least expect to have a daughter." Darry quickly regained his composure.

"Actually, I'd least expect Dallas or Two-Bit the most, but you're up there as well," he explained.

"And before you go assumin' shit, I do care about her," Steve warned. Darry nodded his head, and Soda gasped.

"Stevie! Don't talk like that with a little girl around," he said, covering Michelle's ears with his hands. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Soda," he responded. Soda looked at Darry quickly who only shrugged his shoulders. Then, he looked back at Steve.

"Can I talk to you for a second in the kitchen, Steve?" Soda asked. Soda handed Michelle to Darry. He awkwardly took her, but Michelle took an instant liking to him. Soon, Darry relaxed, and the two began playing with each other.

Soda and Steve shuffled into the kitchen. Steve moved to the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. When he pulled away, Soda snatched the alcohol from his best friend. In response, Steve glared at him.

"I ain't lettin' you drink when your daughter is here. She ain't seeing you like that," Soda said in a serious tone. "Besides, do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Steve turned around and took a seat at their table.

"Nothin is wrong," he insisted, staring at the wall. Soda raised one of his eyebrows and took a seat across from Steve.

"C'mon, Steve. You only drink on special occasions or when you're upset, and I know for a fact that there ain't no special occasion," Steve looked at Soda and frowned.

"Do you really want to know what's bothering me?" Steve asked. Soda nodded his head eagerly. "That poor excuse of a dad I have. That's what is bothering me."

"What'd he do now?"

"We ran into him at the store, and he was saying about how he knows that I don't really like Michelle and shit like that," Steve explained sadly. Soda looked at his friend and frowned.

"Steve, don't worry about him. We all know that isn't true, and that's all that matters," Soda replied. Steve sighed and nodded his head.

"I know," he mumbled. Soda started to smile.

"Now let's go see how Darry and Michelle are getting along," Soda sat the unopened beer on the table, and the two males stood up and filed into the living room. Steve watched his daughter play with Darry happily, and it made him forget about his troubles with his dad.

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**review loves. :)**

**Oh, I want to say something else too. The scene where Steve runs into his dad at the store is how I think the situation would go down. Since those two clash, I think his dad would purposely try to get under his skin especially with something Steve loves (Michelle).**


	14. She Will Be Loved

**Am I the only one who thinks this was the longest two days ever? It seriously feels like so much longer! Anyway, the wait is over, and I am back with an update!**

**I really hope you guys like this chapter. When you get done reading, please review. Your feedback inspires me, and it also tells me what you guys want to happen. :) Please review!**

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Sherri stared out the window sadly. A month had passed, and her father was still in the hospital. Unfortunately, he was still in critical condition, and according to the doctors, he was getting worse and worse every day. When her mom heard that news, she fell to her knees and began crying her eyes out. It broke Sherri's heart.

Besides all the bad stuff that happened within the last month, there were a few happy moments. A couple weeks ago, Michelle celebrated her sixth birthday. She had the time of her life too. Sherri and Steve both took her to Steve's house. The ex-greasers, including Dallas, threw the young girl a party. Michelle had an absolute blast.

But the day before is what really made Sherri happy. Of course she was happy to see her daughter age a year, but she was even happier to find out that she was carrying another child.

She was pregnant with Steve's second child.

As soon as Michelle realized she was going to be an older sister, she went crazy. Sherri had a hard time calming her down and making Michelle promise not to tell Steve was even harder. Michelle continued asking the same question over and over.

"Why can't Daddy know?"

Sherri struggled to tell her that she wanted to surprise him when the time was right. Eventually, Michelle grasped what her mother was saying and promised not to tell him. Sherri also had a difficult time figuring out when and how she was going to tell Steve. Finally, it came to her.

When the two went out to celebrate their one month anniversary, she was going to tell him. Sherri had found an empty box, and with the help of her mother's scrapbooking supplies, she made a cute little card to go with it.

The card was decorated in pink and blue with a rattle in the top right corner. The edges were decorated with ribbon, and purple letters occupied the middle. With the help of Sherri's mother, the two came up with a cute saying.

"You'll receive your gift in 8 ½ months,"

Sherri couldn't wait to give him the box. She couldn't wait to see his reaction. The excitement was almost unbearable. There was only one thing she feared. What if he wasn't excited for another child? What if he didn't want another baby?

It was a risk Sherri was willing to take.

XxXxXxX

Steve stared out ahead of him and watched as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Sherri stuck her hand in her coat pocket and played with the box. Slowly, she turned towards Steve. He looked over at her and smiled.

"What's the matter, buttercup?" he asked. Sherri looked at him. A big smile began to form on her face.

"I got you something," she answered happily. Steve smiled too.

"I got you something as well," he pulled a velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to her. Sherri took it and carefully opened the box. Inside was a gold bracelet. "Michelle helped me pick it out." Sherri's smile grew bigger. She pulled the chain out of the box, and Steve helped her put it on. Sherri admired it for a couple seconds before pulling the box out of her jacket. She held it out towards Steve.

He took the box from her and eyed it before opening it. Steve pulled the card out and sat the rest on the car seat. He looked at Sherri nervously. In response, she happily nodded her head. Steve opened the card and read over it slowly.

Once the information sank in, his eyes widened. He looked up at Sherri; tears formed in her eyes.

"Is this true?" Steve asked quietly. Sherri slowly nodded her head. He stared at her blankly, and the girl began fearing the worse. She was afraid this would happen. Steve didn't want another child. Now, he was going to leave her.

Instead, a big smile formed on his face. He threw his arms around Sherri. She held onto him tightly and cried into his shoulder. Steve squeezed her gently and continued smiling.

"I'm going to be a father to another child," he said to himself. The two pulled away from each other, and Sherri wiped her eyes. Steve looked at her sadly. "What's wrong?"

"I was afraid you weren't ready for another child, and that you were going to leave me," she answered sadly. Steve leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"I'd never leave you," He whispered, cupping her cheeks. Steve pressed his lips to hers, and the two enjoyed the rest of their night.

XxXxXxX

"Uncle Soda, guess what!" Michelle shouted, stopping in her tracks. Soda ran up behind her and scooped her up into his arms.

"What, Michelle?" he asked, carrying her into the kitchen.

"Mommy and Daddy are having a baby!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to be a big sister!" Soda looked at her weirdly.

"Your mommy is pregnant?" Michelle nodded her head. Soda smiled and shook his head. "I'll be damned. Steve did it again." He muttered to himself. "Are you sure, Michelle?"

"Yeah! I was with Mommy when the doctor told her!" Michelle remembered the day like it was yesterday. Instead, it was a couple weeks ago; a day before her sixth birthday.

"_Congratulations, Ms. Valance. According to the blood we drew, you're pregnant with your second child," the doctor explained. Sherri's eyes glistened with unshed tears. Michelle looked at the adults in confusion. The doctor looked down at her and smiled. "You're going to be a big sister." He explained, getting down to her level. Michelle went crazy._

_Finally, Michelle looked at Sherri who nodded in response. The doctor stood back up, congratulated her one more time, and then headed off. Sherri picked her daughter up and went to go pay._

_"Now, I don't want you to tell your daddy. I want it to be a surprise to him," Sherri told her. Michelle looked at her again in confusion._

_"Why can't Daddy know?" she asked._

_"I want it to be a surprise," Sherri answered. "Do you promise you won't tell Daddy?" Michelle sighed and nodded her head._

_"I promise, Mommy,"_

Soda served the little girl some cake and sat down next to her. He couldn't wait for his best friend to get home now. He couldn't wait to see how he felt about becoming a father of two.

This should be interesting.

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**Due to popular demand, I am in the process of writing a Steve / Soda / Michelle moments. Unfortunately, I couldn't include it in this chapter, but I promise there will be one in the next chapter. So, you all will get that in chapter fifteen!**

**reviews loves. :)**


	15. Thank God I Found You

**So - A couple of you have been assuming that I'm anonymously reviewing my story under multiple names. Well, I'm not. I promise I am not reviewing my story. That's stupid.**

**If you do have an account, please log on. I'm thankful for all the guest reviews, but I'm paranoid that it's one person. So, please log on. While you're logged in, please follow and favorite after reviewing. It'd mean a lot!**

**Okay, I know this isn't a very good Steve / Soda / Michelle moment, but I promise I will do more, and I promise those moments will be better.**

**When you get done reading, please review. I like seeing what you guys have to say, and it helps me write the new chapters.**

* * *

Steve and Sodapop took a seat on the edge of the ball pit. Sherri got called into work; Steve was put in charge of Michelle, and the two boys decided to take her somewhere fun. Soda insisted the three head to Mack's Playhouse; they had ball pits, jungle gyms and a whole lot more.

Steve thought it would entertain the six year-old, so the group got around and came.

The two twenty three year-olds tossed the colorful objects at Michelle, who merely squealed in response.

After a few minutes, Soda squirmed around anxiously on the wall enclosing the balls to one place. He looked at his friend nervously. Steve continued tossing the objects to his daughter with a big smile on his face. Soda took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Now was his only chance to talk to his friend. He needed to know if what Michelle had said was true. Soda knew it wasn't his business, and that he shouldn't get into his friend's personal life like this, but it was going to bother him.

Soda wasn't exactly sure why the thought of Steve being a father to another child bothered him. The feeling must have been triggered by the realization that he wasn't even married. People frowned upon having children out of wedlock.

What if Sherri somehow got sent away due to this too? If that happened, Steve would be devastated. He'd be hurt. He would lose the two most important people in his life.

Soda would be hurt too. He couldn't stand the thought of losing Michelle. He loved that girl like his own. But maybe this was Soda being selfish. Maybe he was about to pry into his best friend's personal life for his own selfish needs.

Soda tried to force the thoughts to the back of his head. He picked up a red ball and threw it up in the air several times, catching it each time it feel back down.

"Is it true?" Soda asked absentmindedly focusing on the ball pits. Steve tossed another ball at his daughter.

"Is what true?" Steve asked him.

"Is Sherri really pregnant again?" Steve's expression hardened.

"Who told you?" His tone was bitter and cold. Soda drew a shaky breath and faced his best friend.

"Michelle told me, Steve. Your own daughter," Sodapop answered. Steve softened a bit, but he still looked angry. Steve turned and faced Michelle; no one spoke. The only noise came from the other kids. Finally, Steve sighed, and his once tense body relaxed.

"Yes, it's true," he answered grimly.

"Stevie, don't be sad," Soda said softly, gripping the older kid's shoulder. Steve shook his head.

"I'm not sad; I'm actually really happy, but I know how it is. People ain't too fond of havin' children when they ain't married," Steve answered. "I'm kind of nervous too."

"Why are you nervous? You got one child that loves you to death. Won't that be the same for the other kid?" Steve shrugged.

"Michelle has Sherri's personality. What if this one has mine?" Steve looked up and met Soda's eyes. "I ain't the easiest person to deal with."

"You didn't have discipline, Steve. Just think, if you crack down on the kid, you'll have another perfect angel," Soda said.

"Even if he turns out like me?" Steve stopped tossing the balls to Michelle and thought about what Soda had said.

Soda nodded his head.

"Even if he turns out like you," he confirmed. He picked up a green ball and tossed it towards Michelle. Instead, the little girl got up. She waddled her way out of the ball pit. Steve and Soda watched to see where she went.

"Where's she going?" Steve asked. Soda shrugged his shoulders. "Should we follow?"

"Well, I don't think Sherri would be very happy if you lost her daughter," Soda answered. Both males stood up and waddled to the other side of the pit. On the way there, Soda tripped over some of the balls. He fell forward and grabbed a hold of Steve's shirt. Steve gasped, and the two fell into the pit together.

Steve pushed himself up and looked at his best friend.

"Steve, help me! I'm drowning!" he exclaimed dramatically. Steve stared at him in response. Soda sat up and looked at his friend. "What if I was really drowning? Would you have saved me?" Soda asked, cocking an eyebrow. Steve smirked.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on what kind of mood I'm in when it happens," he joked. Soda rolled his eyes and stood up. Steve copied his action, and the two continue looking for Michelle, who had now disappeared from their sight.

XxXxXxX

Soda was the first one to spot Michelle. He stopped immediately causing Steve to walk right into him.

"Soda," Steve groaned. In response, Soda turned around with a big smile on his face. Steve looked at him weirdly. "What's wrong with you?" Soda put his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

"Don't you get it, Steve?" he asked. Steve shook his head. "Michelle walked away from us because she wants us to chase her." Soda swung back around pointing at something. Steve followed to where he was pointing. Sure enough, Soda was right. Michelle sat in a tube, staring at the two men. She waved to them happily with a big smile on her face. Steve averted his eyes back towards his best friend.

"Let's go get her," he smirked. Soda nodded his head and the two took off to chase after the little six year-old. "We can't crawl through the tubes like her though." Steve said. The two guys stopped in front of the entrance. Soda looked at Steve and grinned. He leaned in towards his friend.

"Go wait by the exit; I'll chase her out, and then you grab her," Soda whispered. Ignoring all the other kids' stares, Soda quickly spun around and shot into the cylinder of plastic and foul smells. Steve looked around awkwardly. All the kids and parents had averted their eyes to him. He backed up slowly and went to wait for his daughter at the other end.

XxXxXxX

Soda continued through the tube. In all honesty, he was shocked he even fit into the little child toy.

"Michelle, I'm coming to get you," Soda taunted. The little girl giggled in response. Her laugh echoed, and slowly dwindled to nothing. Eventually, Soda came to the first fault in his plan. "Shit." He muttered to himself. The tubing came to an intersection. He had a choice of three different paths, but he didn't know which to choose. "If I was Michelle, which way would I go?" Soda asked himself, glancing around the small space. He finally settled on the yellow one and hurried away. Michelle wasn't going to get away from him that easily.

XxXxXxX

Steve took a seat in the ball pit next to the slide. Little kids had been running past him shooting weird looks in his direction. Steve was beginning to grow impatient with everything. How long did it take to run a little girl to an exit? He sighed to himself. After all, he was relying on Sodapop. Steve picked up a couple balls and gently tossed them to the other side.

Soda needed to hurry up.

XxXxXxX

Michelle crawled into what looked like a fort. She looked around quickly for an exit. Soda was getting closer, and Michelle refused to let him catch her. The fort was big enough that she could stand up, and that's what she did. Michelle got to her feet and weaved in and out of the other children. As she walked around, she was quickly pushed to her knees. Michelle's head snapped around and met the dark, blue eyes of another girl.

She tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear and frowned.

"I'm really sorry. I was pushed," she answered quietly. The girl held out her hand; Michelle grabbed onto it and was pulled to her feet. Michelle looked at the girl curiously. "I'm Lori." She introduced.

"My name is Michelle," the young girl answered happily. "Want to play together? I'm running from my Uncle Soda!" Lori offered her a small smile.

"Sure," Lori replied. Michelle grabbed onto her new friend's hand and pulled her away from the crowd of children. The two embarked on their journey together to stay away from Soda.

XxXxXxX

Soda walked up to Steve, who was now sitting by himself on the edge of the ball pit. He plopped down next to him and looked at his best friend happily. Steve looked up at him.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked curiously.

"Michelle made a new friend," Sodapop answered. "I was following behind her, and I saw her run off with another little girl her age." Steve smirked.

"I'm glad she made a friend; we don't need her endin' up like Evie with all 'em boys," Steve told his friend. Soda chuckled.

"Are you happy about the new friendship?"

"I'm as happy as a father can be," Steve responded. "And I ain't even met the kid."

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**Favorite, follow, and review loves. :)**


	16. Surprise

**I want to apologize for yesterday's chapter. I know it was terrible, but I told myself I was going to rewrite it, but I never did. I'm sorry for that. But I hope you guys haven't given up this story because of yesterday.**

**To make it up, I'm uploading another chapter today. I promise this one is _MUCH_ better than the last one. I hope you all haven't completely abandoned it because of chapter fifteen.**

**When you get done reading, please review. Honestly, I don't care about guest reviews anymore. Anyway, I really hope you review this chapter, so I know how you liked it. _IF_ you liked it. Please review!**

* * *

Soda grabbed two beers from the kitchen before joining Steve in the living room. As Soda handed Steve a bottle, he looked at his friend with a smirk.

"What's this for?" Steve asked. "I thought you didn't drink." Soda collapsed onto the couch.

"It's for a special occasion," he answered, popping the top off. Steve gripped the bottle tightly and looked at Sodapop with a raised eyebrow.

"What's the occasion?" Steve inquired clueless. Soda took a sip of alcohol before meeting the eyes of his best friend.

"We're celebrating parenthood," responded Soda. He took another drink of alcohol. A smile slowly consumed his face. "I'm going to be an uncle again!" He exclaimed happily. "Now I'll have two kids to play with!" Steve smiled and shook his head. It didn't take much to excite him. Steve eventually loosened up and opened his beer. Michelle was back with her mother, so one drink wouldn't hurt. He took a swig, and the two celebrated the new child.

XxXxXxX

Ponyboy and Johnny stepped into the small house. Almost immediately, the boys stopped. The two glanced at each other before taking in their surroundings.

Cushions cluttered the living room. At least ten beer bottles occupied the coffee table. Soda was lying on the floor staring at the ceiling, and Steve was hanging upside-down off the unpadded couch. Both boys were giggling up a storm; they strongly resembled two little school girls.

"What have we gotten ourselves in to?" Pony heard Johnny mutter.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Ponyboy asked stepping forward. Steve started giggling more.

"Oooh, Pony. Don't swear. It ain't ladylike," Soda slurred. Steve's giggles turned to full out laughter. He gasped for his breath and tried to sit up; instead, Steve clumsily fell off the couch and onto the floor, landing hard on his back.

Soda rolled onto his stomach and buried his face into the carpet to stifle his laughter. From the other side of the coffee table, Steve groaned and rubbed his head.

"That hurt," he mumbled. Soda picked his head up and looked at his younger brother happily.

"What er ya two doin' here?" Sodapop asked. Ponyboy fixed one of the cushions before sitting on top of it; Johnny copied his action.

"Johnnycake and I came to see if y'all wanted to come to The Dingo with us, but I see you're busy having a drinking party," Pony answered, looking around the living room.

"We ain't busy," Steve spoke. He sat up and looked around the living room.

"Steve's right. We ain't busy; we're celebrating," Soda interrupted.

"What are y'all celebratin' for?" Johnny asked curiously.

"Steve is havin' a baby!" Soda chirped loudly. At the sound of that, Steve started laughing harder than before.

"I ain't havin' no baby. Babies are a handful and a waste of time," Steve answered. Johnny looked at Ponyboy.

"But what about Michelle?" Pony asked. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Michelle ain't a baby," he answered.

"I thought you were happy that Sherri was pregnant?" Sodapop asked. Steve sighed and played with the hem of his shirt.

"I am, but I'm nervous," the male answered quietly. "I don't know how to care for a baby. I don't know what to do when she's having the child either." Johnny's eyes flickered around the room nervously. Soda looked at Steve with a smile.

"All you have to do is hold her hand and comfort her," he explained. "That's what the women like."

"Wait, Sherri is pregnant again?" Ponyboy asked in shock. Steve looked at him and nodded his head.

"Yep,"

XxXxXxX

Marcia ran into The Dingo. A big smile was plastered on her face, and she looked a lot happier than usual. Sherri sat the stack of plates on the table and looked at her friend.

"Sher, you're never going to guess what I found out!" Marcia said happily. She took a seat in the booth; Sherri quickly copied her action. The red head looked up at her friend. "So, for the past few days, I've been feeling sick, and I've gained more weight in a month than I have in six months, so Randy suggested going to the doctor. I'm twenty-two weeks pregnant, Sher. According to the doctor, we're going to have a little boy!"

"Looks like your little boy will have a friend," Marcia looked at her friend weirdly. "I'm a couple weeks pregnant." Marcia squealed in delight. "How did you go so long without knowing?" Marcia merely shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not quite sure. I was still getting my period, but it wasn't as heavy as it normally is. Heck, I thought nothing of it. I thought it was normal,"

"Doesn't that normally mean a miscarriage?"

"I thought it was, but the doctor said it meant nothing. He said that I should contact him if it gets heavier though," she explained. "Sher, what's it like having a child?"

Sherri smiled.

"It's really nice,"

XxXxXxX

"Calm down," Dallas instructed. "They were drunk. It probably ain't true." Ponyboy looked at Dallas and frowned. He had told him that Sherri was pregnant again.

"Drunk or not, Steve seemed pretty serious about the topic,"

"Pony, we all know Steve hates kids, besides Michelle, so why would they try for another?" Ponyboy sighed and nodded his head while shrugging his shoulders. Dally smirked. "Good, now go fetch me a beer." Pony got up and wandered into the kitchen.

Something told him what Steve and Soda said was true. And for similar reasons to Sodapop's, it bothered Ponyboy.

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**Please review guys. I need to know if this chapter (heck, even this story) was worth reading.**


	17. Before the Storm

**So, I'm saying this one more time, and that's it . . . I ****_am not_**** posting reviews on my own story. If you believe me, then thank you, but if you don't, oh well.**

**This is going to be my last update for a week or so. I have a bunch of homework, and I've been really stressed out lately. I hope you all understand.**

**When you get done reading, please review. Also, I never said I dislike guest reviews. They don't bother me. **

**I don't own ****_When a Man Loves a Woman_**** by Percy Sledge**

* * *

Four weeks and two days.

Sherri eagerly counted down the days until the special moment. Everyday she'd happily cross off the previous day. A part of her also felt guilty. Sherri wasn't nearly this happy about her first pregnancy. Then, she was young and nervous. Sherri was too young; seventeen wasn't old enough to care for a child. Twenty-three was too young also, but Sherri had Steve. Last time, she had no one to help. She only had the support of her immobile grandmother, Evelyn, and Evelyn's disability checks, and her own paychecks. It was barely enough. It wasn't easy, and the young girl was surprised she had managed to graduate. Sherri wasn't sure how she did it, but she did.

"Tryin' to hold on to your previous love. Baby, please don't treat me bad," Steve sang loudly, swaying to his right. He bumped into Sherri signaling the song was directed to her. Steve sat up normally moments later.

"Steve, can you slow down?" Sherri asked, crossing her arms over her stomach. Steve quickly glanced at her.

"What's wrong, baby?" All day, Sherri had felt nauseous, and the trip to the hospital wasn't helping. Aside from the side effects of pregnancy, the news of her father made her sick, and the lingering thought wasn't helping.

_"Sherri, wake up," Normally, she would've told him to go away, but the panic in Steve's voice woke her up instantly. Sherri rolled over and looked at Steve; his eyes were wide and full of fear. "That was your mom. She said your dad took a turn for the worst. He isn't expected to make it through the rest of the day. I called Ponyboy, and he said he'd watch Michelle." Sherri got out of bed and quickly got dressed._

_"Why couldn't Soda watch her?" She asked, buttoning up her white blouse._

_"He had to work. Don't worry, Pony is good with children," Sherri stepped into her skirt. Once she finished getting around, the two loaded Michelle into the car and dropped her off with Ponyboy before rushing to the hospital._

A doctor loitered around the outside of Tom's room. Sherri pulled her hand out of Steve's before racing towards the doctor. Steve followed close behind. The older man looked at them sadly with his grey eyes.

"I'm sorry, but you guys can't see him. He's dying," A squeak emerged from the back of Sherri's throat.

"Can she please see him? He's her father for crying out loud," Steve spoke up. The doctor glanced down at her.

"Don't stay too long," he moved out of the way, and the two adults pushed through the door.

Tom's breathing was slow, and Sherri thought they were too late. Steve's thoughts mirror her's, but then Mr. Valance let out a low, weak moan.

Mrs. Valance slowly got up from a chair next to Tom's bed.

"I'll leave you three alone," she whispered.

"Let me join you," Steve said, thinking Sherri wanted to be alone. Instead, she grabbed his right hand and looked at him with glassy eyes.

"Please stay," she pleaded. Steve nodded his head, and Mrs. Valance left quietly. Sherri dropped his hand and quickly moved to take over her mother's seat. She sat down slowly and grabbed ahold of Tom's hand. "Daddy, did you hear the news?" Sherri asked quietly. Tom looked at his daughter weakly.

"It depends. What's your news Sher-Bear?" Tom asked quietly.

"I'm pregnant. Steve and I are going to have another baby. Michelle is going to be an older sister," Sherri explained. Tom closed his eyes as a small smile played onto his lips.

"That's wonderful, dear. Make sure Steve takes care of you guys. If not, I'll beat him up," a small chuckle passed through his mouth. Sherri and Steve both smiled.

"Of course, Tom," he answered. "I'll always take care of her and our children." Tom never answered. The three sat in silence. After a few moments, the heart monitor let out a long, never ending beep. Sherri squeezed her father's limp hand as tears began to crawl down her cheeks.

"Daddy?" Sherri asked. Steve moved behind her and gingerly touched the girl's back. He got down on his knees to be closer to his girlfriend. Sherri twisted around in her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around Steve. He returned her hug and watched Tom's lifeless body.

He was now the only man in Sherri's life.

XxXxXxX

Ponyboy watched Michelle from the opposite side of the room. He didn't think watching her would be too bad since Darry was here, but then he got called into work, and Pony was left with her alone. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

"Michelle, I made you a peanut butter sandwich if you're hungry," Pony said. Michelle put down one of Soda's old toy cars and stood up.

"Thanks, Uncle Pony!" she said happily. The older male led her into the kitchen and helped her into the chair even though Michelle specifically stated she was a big girl and didn't need help.

"Uncle Pony, will you cut mu sandwich into two pieces? Please?" Michelle asked. He nodded his head and grabbed the plate. Pony carried it to the counter and pulled out a knife and cut the sandwich into two pieces like the young girl had asked. Ponyboy carried the plate back to her. "Thank you!" Michelle picked up half and downed the sandwich with a smile on her face.

XxXxXxX

The ride home was silent. Sherri's eyes remained fixed on the window with tears rolling down her cheeks as Steve blankly stared out at the road.

This wasn't right. Tom couldn't be gone. He couldn't leave like this. He couldn't leave his daughter, wife, granddaughter, and unborn grandchild. That's not how it was suppose to go.

But what about Steve?

Was he the rock in this mess. Or did Tom think of him as a son-in-law? Steve did mention that he wanted to marry Sherri.

It didn't matter what he thought of Steve now. He was gone, and if he wasn't too fond of Steve, it was too late to change his mind.

But Tom was nice to him in the hospital. He even said Steve changed his opinion of greasers. That was good, right? This meant Tom must've liked him.

Unless he was lying.

Steve sighed. The death was clouding his mind so quickly and an hour hadn't even passed since then. There was something that really stood out to Steve though.

Why is he hurting so much more now than he did when his own mother died?

Was it because he liked Sherri so much that seeing her in pain made his heart ache as well? Did he hurt more knowing his girlfriend hurt, and there was nothing he could really do to make her feel better?

Steve's mind drifted back to his mother and her death. He remembered everything about her, and he remembered that day like it was yesterday . . . .

Rosemary Randle was an absolutely beautiful woman. Her long, light brown hair ran all the way to the middle of her back. And her dark brown eyes always seemed to sparkle. Even when she was furious with Steve for getting six detentions from all of his teachers.

Steve remembered being six years old. His father came home from work one day; Rosemary was lying on the ground barely breathing. He remembered being in the middle of art class when his teacher got a call.

It was the office calling for Steve.

Steve gathered his belongings and walked to the office. His mind raced trying to remember everything bad he had done in class. Something seemed off with his father though. When he saw Steve, he ran towards the young boy, picked him up, and ran to the car. The two then sped to the hospital to be with Rose. Steve had watched his father in confusion. His young mind could comprehend that something bad had happened, but what?

"Daddy, what's wrong?" a tiny and frightened Steve asked. Jack drew in a shaky breath.

"Something is wrong with Mommy,"

XxXxXxX

It had become routine for Steve. He'd go to school, and then he'd spend the rest of the day at the hospital. About a month or so into the familiar routine, it all stopped. Jack woke Steve up like usual except that day, Steve didn't go to school. Instead, they went straight to the hospital.

When they arrived, Steve went straight to his mother's room while his father went to talk to the doctor.

He remembers his mother grabbing his hand tightly. The two held a normal conversation, and then Rose groaned softly. She told Steve she loved him, and before the little boy could respond, she died. Steve cried for hours after that.

Shortly after her passing, Jack took up drinking. Quickly he became an alcoholic and changed into a bitter man. Steve no longer could please him, so he quit trying. After a year, the duo could no longer stand each other, and it has remained that way. Nothing would ever change.

XxXxXxX

Steve was pulled out of his thoughts by a car horn. His surroundings quickly came back into view, and when the black Mustang zoomed past them with two middle fingers high in the air, it didn't go unnoticed by Steve.

He sighed to himself and focused on the road. This was going to be a long, depressing day.

And it was only 11:30 in the morning.

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**review loves. :)**


	18. Poor Mr Hurly - Part II

**It's been a while since I updated this story. Sorry, but I'm back! I hope you can forgive me for the long wait. And I'm hoping this chapter was worth the long wait, but that'll be up to you guys.**

**Another thing, happy birthday to the man, Rob Lowe! The cutie who plays our dearest Sodapop Curtis. I hope he has a great day whatever he's doing. :)**

**When you get done reading, please review. :)**

* * *

Just as Steve promised, he was there to pick Michelle up bright and early the next morning. It was only 7:00, so he figured he'd be able to sneak in, write a note, and take his daughter.

When he stepped into the house, he was shocked to find the kitchen light on. Steve followed the light and stepped into the room to find Darry standing at the stove.

"What are you doing up?" Steve asked quietly. Darry stopped what he was doing and turned around. He looked at Steve with a smile.

"I should be asking you the same question," he responded. Steve smiled and took a seat at the table. "I got a call this morning. The boss man is short a guy, so he asked if I could work. I ain't complainin'. That means more money to pay our bills. Now, what are you doing here?" Darry looked Steve right in the eye.

"I told you I would come pick Michelle up early," Steve answered. "Speaking of her, where is she?"

"She slept with Ponyboy last night," the young father got up from his seat. He stepped into the hallway and followed it to the very end. The door at the very end was cracked open a little. Steve pushed it a little and looked in; a smile formed on his face.

Pony had an arm wrapped around his daughter protectively while she was curled up to him. Steve almost felt bad that he had to separate the two.

He stepped towards the bed and gently removed Ponyboy's arm. Steve then scooped a sleeping Michelle up into his arms. Thankfully she didn't wake up. Steve moved to the opposite side of the teen's room and grabbed her bag. He slung it over his shoulder.

"You didn't have to come get her this early," Darry said when Steve stepped into the living room.

"Yeah, I did. Sherri still wants her to go to school today," he answered. "So, I have to get her home, and then get her ready before sending her on her way." Steve smoothed Michelle's hair down. "Thanks for watchin' her."

"Don't worry about it, Steve. We were happy to watch her," Steve stepped out the door and towards his truck. Hopefully today would be better than yesterday.

XxXxXxX

Michelle entered her classroom quietly. Steve had dropped her off at school after several pleads not to make her come. He didn't listen, so she was forced to come. Michelle put her backpack in the classroom's backroom and took a seat next to Joseph.

"What's this stuff?" Michelle asked, observing the glue and scissors on their table. Joseph shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. It was here when I got here," he replied. "Maybe we're doing something fun." Michelle shook her head.

"Stuff with glue is never fun," she told him.

XxXxXxX

Just as Michelle predicted, the class was required to do a project, and like she said, it wasn't fun. They were to make a hat. A hat.

Michelle didn't complain; instead, she worked on her hat and talked to Joseph every now and then.

"It's stuck," Joseph said, shaking his glue bottle upside down. Michelle looked at him.

"Squeeze it," she instructed. Joseph pointed the bottle towards her and squeezed with all his might. Moments later, the cap gave away. A ton of glue shot out of the bottle and landed on Michelle's clothes and in her hair. Joseph looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly. Michelle smirked before scooping up some glue and throwing it at her friend. She started laughing. Joseph looked at his shirt in disbelief. Michelle started to laugh. Finally, the little boy gave in. The two started laughing and throwing glue at each other.

"Ms. Valance and Mr. Mazzello," both froze at the stern voice behind them. "This is inappropriate behavior, and I'm afraid I'll have to send you two to the principal's office. Now go." The two got up and hurried out of the classroom. Tears formed quickly in Michelle's eyes.

"My daddy is going to be really mad," she cried. Joseph sighed.

"My mommy will probably spank me," he said sadly.

"I'm really sorry," Michelle wiped at her eyes, and the two arrived at the office. They both entered together, and the secretary looked at them. Her lips were in a firm line, and she gestured towards the principal.

"He's waiting for you two," she said. Joseph and Michelle entered his room quietly. Mr. Hurly looked at the two kids and sighed.

"I should've known Mr. Randle's kid would be in here sooner or later," he muttered to himself. He sat up straight in his chair. "Please take a seat." His loud voice boomed, and it frightened the two kids, but they obeyed and took a seat in front of his desk. Mr. Hurly looked at them.

"We didn't mean to," Joseph spoke quickly.

"Don't worry. Your teacher explained everything to me. I'm going to call your parents, so you two just sit tight," he picked up his phone and dialed a number. The group sat in silence. Michelle hoped he didn't call her parents first. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. "Mr. Randle? Hello, this is Principal Hurly." He glanced at Michelle. "I have your daughter in the office with me because she and another student got into what Ms. Karpinski described as a glue fight . . . . Yes, they're both covered in glue from head to toe . . . . Well, yes. Detention is necessary in this situation. Anyway, would you like to bring her a change of clothes? . . . Okay, she'll be waiting for you in the office." Mr. Hurly hung up, and instead of saying anything to the group, he picked up the phone again and dialed another number. A number that the two guessed belonged to Joseph.

"Hello, Mrs. Mazzello. This is Principal Hurly . . ." Michelle looked at Joseph who was looking back at her.

"I'm scared," she said. Joseph nodded his head quickly. His brown eyes were wide with fear.

"Me too,"

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**Review loves. :)**


	19. Surprises for Sherri

**Two of Us**  
_Chapter Nineteen_

**Author's Note:** So - These next few chapters are going to be rushed, and I'm sorry for that. I'm ready for this story to be done, but I don't know when the final chapters are going to be poster. I hope to have them up by the end of April / start of May. I guess we'll see how this works out. Also - Someone made a comment in a review about the title for the last chapter. Actually, it's part two because Soda and Steve were part one. :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Outsiders

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Michelle started to squirm in her seat when she saw her dad. What made things worse was that he didn't look happy. He came into the office and talked to the secretary. When he was done, he turned around and looked at Michelle.

"Let's go," he said sternly. Michelle hopped off her seat and hurried into the hallway. She had never seen her dad so angry. It scared her. She didn't like it.

In the car, Michelle kept her attention fixed out the window. Steve was still scaring her, and she didn't want to look at him.

"Why would you do that?" Steve asked. Michelle didn't answer; instead, she shrugged her shoulders. "You know better than that. Now you can never wear that dress again. It's ruined." Michelle felt tears form in her eyes, but she was thankful they were back at the apartment. The tears became too much and eventually dripped down her cheeks.

Steve sighed and turned the truck off.

"Michelle, come here," he said. She shook her head and continued staring out the window. "Please, sweetheart. I want to talk to you." Reluctantly, she climbed over into his lap. Steve held her close even though she was covered in glue. "I just don't understand why you did that. I thought you knew better than that."

"Joseph couldn't get his glue to work, and then it got all over me, so I threw it back at him," she answered. More tears fell down her cheek.

"You shouldn't have done that. Now come on, Mommy is waiting for us inside," Steve opened the truck door and got out with Michelle on his hip. Together, they journeyed to Sherri's apartment.

XxXxXxX

Michelle buried her face into Steve's chest and cried. After pestering Sherri, the two adults finally told the little girl the news of Sherri's father. Steve reached over and grabbed his girlfriend's hand. She wasn't crying, but she was on the verge of tears. Steve kissed Michelle's head and sighed.

He hated seeing his family hurt.

XxXxXxX

The weeks started going faster and faster, and before Sherri knew it, it was time to find out the gender of the baby. After this, they planned on going to purchase some baby furniture.

Sherri lied back on the table as the nurse rubbed gel onto her stomach. Steve gripped her hand and watched with fascination. This was new to him.

"How are you two doing today?" the nurse asked, grabbing something. She placed a tool to her stomach and moved it around the growing bump.

"We're great," Sherri answered, looking up at Steve. He looked down at her with a big smile. Sherri laughed quietly.

"Is this your first child?" The doctor asked. Sherri shook her head.

"No, this will be our second one,"

"How old is your other one?" Sherri looked at Steve encouraging him to answer her question.

"She's six," he spoke.

"Are you hoping for a boy?" Steve nodded his head and smiled.

"It'd be nice to have a little boy," the nurse chuckled and moved the screen towards the parents. She began pointing to different stuff before she finally told them the gender.

"Sorry, Dad. You're going to have two little girls," she laughed. Steve shrugged.

"I'm just as happy with a girl," the nurse smiled and wiped the gel off Sherri's stomach.

"Congratulations, you two,"

XxXxXxX

"When do you want to move in together?" Sherri asked stepping into the apartment. Steve shrugged and shut the door behind him.

"It doesn't matter to me, but I'm going to go tidy up your bedroom. I want you to lie down or something," Sherri nodded her head obediently and sighed. Steve grabbed a hold of the bag on his shoulder and hurried to the room.

Inside the room, he shut the door. Steve quickly opened the bag and pulled the bouquet of flowers out. He changed into nicer clothes and checked over the piece of jewelry. When he was done, he got down on one knee, took a deep breath, and called for his girlfriend.

"Sherri, come here! I need your help!" Steve lied. He heard movement from the living room. He gripped the bouquet of flowers tightly and took another breath. The nerves were starting to get the best of him.

The door knob started to twist, and then slowly opened.

"What do you need, Steve?" Sherri asked clueless to what was about to happen. She stepped into the room and gasped when she saw Steve. He smiled and handed the flowers to her. Sherri accepted them happily. He played with the tiny box in his pocket and took another deep breath.

"Sherri," he started. "I love you so much. I know this is sudden, but I know you're the one for me. I can't imagine my life without you and being with anyone besides you doesn't feel right. You're the mother to my children, and I wouldn't have it any other way. So, will you, Sherri Valance, marry me?" Steve pulled the ring out of his pocket and opened it up in front of her. Tears formed in her eyes. She nodded her head quickly. Steve smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger. He stood up and wrapped her in a hug. Steve kissed her forehead.

He was the happiest man ever.

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**Author's Note:** I would really appreciate it if you would drop me a review. :)


	20. Evelyn Marie Randle

**Two of Us**  
_Chapter Twenty_

**Author's Note:** So - This is the second to last chapter, and I guess you could say there are a few big time jumps, but at this point, I don't care; I'm ready for this story to be over. I'll try to get the last chapter posted by the end of the week. I don't have much more to say, but I hope you like this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I don't own The Outsiders.

* * *

Sherri sat up in bed quickly. She gripped her large stomach and winced.

"Steve," Sherri groaned. "Steve, wake up. The baby is coming." Steve sat up quickly.

A month or so after the two found out the gender of the baby, Steve moved in with the two. Michelle was more than happy.

The two got out of bed quickly. Sherri got dressed, and Steve went to go grab Michelle. Once she finished, Sherri joined the two in the living room.

"I'm just going to bring her to the hospital with us. No one is going to be up to watch her, and the guys aren't the friendliest with someone wakes them up," she nodded her head, and they went to the car.

It was time for baby number two.

XxXxXxX

When they got admitted to a room, it was going on nine o'clock. Steve laid Michelle on the window seat before leaving to go call Soda.

"I'll be right back," he said. Steve wandered to the cafeteria. When he arrived, he went straight to the pay phone. Steve inserted the proper amount of money before dialing his old house number. It rang a couple times before someone finally answered.

"Hello," someone greeted. It sounded like they had been woken up.

"Hey, Soda. It's Steve. Sherri's went in to labor, so we're at the hospital. If you want to come up, feel free, but please tell the guys,"

"I'll be up right away. Is Michelle awake?" he asked.

"No, but she'll probably wake up soon," Steve answered.

"Okay, I'll call the guys and tell them. See you in a few," the two boys bid their farewells before hanging up. Steve then walked back to Sherri's room.

XxXxXxX

Five long hours had passed. Sherri was only four centimeters dilated, and the only thing keeping Steve sane was the gang. Sherri was sleeping, so Steve and Michelle were hanging out with the ex greasers.

"Are you excited to be a big sister, Michelle?" Two-Bit asked. She nodded her head happily.

"As soon as that baby comes home, make sure you do bad things, so your dad will pay attention to you," Dally said. Steve glared at him.

"Don't give her any ideas, Dallas, or I'll ship her off with you, so you can deal with her," Steve answered. Dallas shrugged.

"I could make the kid into a mini me," he responded.

"Don't listen to him, Michelle. He's a bad boy," Ponyboy said.

"Aye, bad is the way to be," Dallas lit a cigarette and took a long drag on it. Steve rolled his eyes and combed through Michelle's hair with his fingers.

"I want to see my little sister," Michelle whined, leaning into Steve.

"You have to wait," Steve said, kissing her forehead.

"It'll be worth the wait," Johnny spoke up. "I'm almost positive." Soda nodded his head.

"It will be," he answered, putting Pony in a headlock. Ponyboy squirmed around. Soda smirked and messed up his hair. Steve leaned back in his chair and smiled. He was glad to be with his friends again.

XxXxXxX

After twelve hours of waiting, it was finally time. Soda kept Michelle in the hall with him while Steve sat next to Sherri. He grabbed onto her hand while the doctors got ready.

"Are you ready, Ms. Valance?" Dr. Smith asked. She nodded her head and squeezed Steve's hand. The doctors repositioned her legs and looked at the red head. "Okay, on the count of three, I want you to take a deep breath and push." Sherri nodded her head. "One . . . Two . . . Three." She took a deep breath and pushed with everything in her. Steve's eyes widened in pain. If Sherri didn't break his hand, he was going to be shocked.

"Okay, relax," a nurse said. Sherri collapsed onto the bed and took a deep breath. Steve pushed her hair out of her face and smiled.

"You're doing great," he said. "We'll have this baby in no time."

"One . . . Two . . . Three . . ." Sherri got into position, took a deep breath, and pushed again. In no time, they'd be parents. In no time, Michelle would have a sister.

After a couple more pushes, cries echoed throughout the room. Sherri collapsed onto the bed again and took a bunch of deep breaths.

"Good job, sweetheart," Steve whispered, leaning down to kiss the girl. Sherri closed her eyes and smiled. The nurse cleaned up the girl before handing her to Sherri. She looked down at the baby and smiled.

"She looks like you, Steve," Sherri smiled. She handed the baby off to her fiancé. "Go show her to your friends. I'm really tired." Steve took the baby and stood up. He carefully walked to his friends. When they saw he had a baby, they all jumped up. Soda even picked Michelle up, so she could see the baby.

"She looks like you, Steve," Darry said. Michelle reached out and grabbed her hand.

"What's her name?" Two-Bit asked.

"Her name is Evelyn Marie," Steve answered.

"She's beautiful," Pony said happily.

The guys hung around the hospital for the rest of the day until one of the nurses kicked them out. While they were they, they all took turns holding the baby. Sherri never thought she'd see such tough hoods arguing over who got the baby next. As for Michelle, she remained on her father's lap for the rest of the day. She was excited about the baby, but part of her was jealous that she wasn't getting any attention. Steve leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"It's okay, Michelle. It's just because the baby is new, and they didn't get to see you when you were born," Steve whispered. Michelle nodded her head and curled up to her dad. She let out a big yawn before falling asleep on Steve's lap.

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**Author's Note:** After this, we have one more chapter. I'll try to post it Friday. Please review. :)


	21. The End

**Two of Us**

_Chapter Twenty-One_

**Author's Note:** Dear Guests, I am NOT reviewing my own story. My friends are NOT reviewing either. I've said this several times, and all the assumptions are starting to irritate me. Please stop accusing me because I really am not posting these reviews. So - No, I don't deserve to be called out for it, and no, I am not pathetic. Also, I'm not conceited, but I don't have the spelling and grammar of a second grader. Really? I swear you're trying to offend me. If I did, I would've been told several months ago. Now, if you don't like my story, you don't have to review, but if you're going to hate on me I'm going to think that it's you who doesn't have a life, and that you are pathetic. Next time you want to flame me, make sure to log in. :) I'd really appreciate it. :)

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_Eight Months Later:_

Darry entered Steve's room with Evelyn in his arms. Soda and Ponyboy were fixing Steve's tuxedo for his big day. Darry looked at him with wide eyes.

"Where did you get such a nice outfit?" he asked curiously. Steve turned and looked at him.

"Oh, Sherri's mom offered to buy her dress and my tuxedo," Steve answered. He held out his arm and took a hold of his eight month old daughter. "Hello, princess." Steve looked back at Darry. "Where's Michelle at?" The older man chuckled quietly.

"Dally and Johnny are helping her get ready. I think Dallas is about to throw something out the window."

"I need to go check on them," Steve pulled away from Soda and headed towards his daughter. None of the boys protested. They knew it was useless with Steve.

XxXxXxX

While Steve helped take care of Michelle, Marcia and Mrs. Valance helped Sherri get ready.

"Darling, you look beautiful," Mrs. Valance said. Sherri observed herself in the mirror.

"I can't believe you're marrying someone who use to be a greaser," Marcia said with a smile. Sherri shrugged her shoulders.

"Normally, I'd care, but I don't anymore because I really love him," she answered.

"Is she ready?" someone asked. The three ladies turned and saw Randy in the doorway. He looked back at them with a smile. Since Tom couldn't be here, Randy was the one who was giving her away. It's what her mother wanted.

"She's almost ready. Go wait outside," Marcia replied, turning her friend around. The two women continued to prepare Sherri for her special day.

XxXxXxX

Sherri and Randy stood behind the doors. Sherri grabbed onto his arm, and he led her down the aisle.

"I can't believe I'm giving you away to a greaser," he laughed quietly. Sherri smiled.

"Oh well," she whispered in return. When they reached the front, Randy dropped Sherri's arm. Steve grabbed onto her hand, and the wedding began.

". . . Steve Randle, do you take Sherri Valance to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Steve smiled.

"I do,"

"Sherri Valance, do you take Steve Randle to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Sherri's smiled mirrored Steve's.

"I do," she answered. Everyone smiled behind them.

"You may now kiss the bride," Steve placed his hand on Sherri's hips and pulled her closer. He smashed his lips onto hers as the guests clapped happily. Michelle ran over to her parents and hugged both of their legs.

This was the greatest day ever. Not for just Sherri and Steve, but for the whole gang, and Sherri's friends. It was truly a dream come true, and after the events of moving back to Tulsa, Sherri wouldn't change anything that happened within the past six years.

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**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I'm glad some of you enjoyed my story. :) & flamers, I can't wait to see what you falsly accuse me of next! :)


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